Charles B. Schudson

Charles B. Schudson is a Wisconsin Reserve Judge, an adjunct professor of law at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin, Legal Counsel for La Causa, Inc., and President of KeynoteSeminars, LLC.

Born in Milwaukee in 1950, he graduated from Dartmouth College where he was a Senior Fellow and Phi Beta Kappa, and from the Wisconsin Law School where he was on Law Review.  He served as a state and federal prosecutor, 1975-82; a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge, 1982-92; a Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge, 1992-2004; and Senior Counsel at von Briesen & Roper, s.c., 2004-06. 

Judge Schudson’s honors include a Fulbright Fellowship selection, the United States Justice Department’s Award for Superior Performance, the Wisconsin Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse Certificate of Special Achievement, “Wisconsin Judge of the Year,” the 1998 National Human Rights Leadership Award, the 2000 Foundation for Improvement of Justice Award, and the 2004 National Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds Award.

Judge Schudson has authored numerous published works, including On Trial: America’s Courts and Their Treatment of Sexually Abused Children (Beacon Press: 1989; 2d ed., 1991).  He has keynoted conferences throughout the world, testified before congressional committees on battered women, the impact of unemployment on children and families, and child sexual abuse, and been a featured guest on radio and television shows including NPR's All Things Considered,PBS's The McNeil-Lehrer Report, and Oprah.

For many years, Judge Schudson has served on the faculties of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the National Judicial College.  Since 1999, he has taught Trial Advocacy at the Wisconsin Law School; since 2004, he has been a member of the faculty of Lawrence University's Bjorklunden Seminars.  In 2005, he was the Wisconsin Law School Global Legal Studies Scholar in Residence at the Universidad Diego Portales Law School in Santiago, Chile.  And since 2007, he has taught “Preparing Lawyers for Life” at both the Marquette and Wisconsin law schools.

Judge Schudson is a member of the National Association of State Judicial Educators, and the Wisconsin Association of Mediators. He is married to Karen Schudson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and an executive coach. They have two sons, Benjamin, a rabbi, and Joel, a musician, two wonderful daughters-in law, Sara and Kylie, and two amazing grandchildren