Incumbent Judge Ben Jones and Fitchburg Immigration Attorney Huma Ahsan will advance to the April 7 spring election for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 1, according to Madison365.
Jones received 52.6% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary and Ahsan received 35.1%, according to Dane County. Nathan Wagner, a business and family law attorney, received 11.9% of votes and will not advance, according to Dane County.
Turnout for the primary was about 13% of registered voters in Dane County, according to Dane County. Ahsan said that the turnout was low but higher than in past judicial primaries.
“It is very low, but typically it’s even lower than 13%,” Ahsan said.
Ahsan said she believes increased public awareness about the role of local courts may have contributed to the slightly higher participation compared with previous judicial primaries. People are beginning to understand the importance of local courts and how judges who serve on them directly impact the community, according to Ahsan.
Dane County Circuit Court judges preside over criminal, civil, family and probate matters, according to the Wisconsin Court System website. Ahsan said circuit court judges make decisions involving family law, housing and criminal matters that directly affect residents’ daily lives.
“These courts are where people go through divorces, custody disputes, eviction proceedings and criminal cases,” Ahsan said. “These are decisions that impact people’s everyday lives.”
Jones was appointed to the Dane County Circuit Court Branch 1 seat in May 2025 by Gov. Tony Evers, according to WMTV15. Jones’ professional biography notes work as chief legal counsel at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and private practice before joining the bench, according to WMTV15.
Ahsan said she has practiced law in Dane County for 25 years, focusing on immigration and civil matters. Ahsan previously taught at the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center, according to Isthmus.
Ahsan described her campaign as grassroots-driven, saying that just a year ago she had no plans to run and was focused on her work as an immigration attorney. She also said her legal background sets her campaign apart from Jones’.
“My campaign is built on 25 years of serving people,” Ahsan said. “I’ve represented sexual assault victims, handled divorces and custody cases and worked on housing matters.”
