Lawton sworn in as Barron County Court Branch 2 judge

Family, friends and fellow judges gathered as Sam Lawton was sworn in as the newest Barron County judge at an investiture ceremony on Thursday at the Justice Center in Barron.

Lawton was elected to the Branch 2 judicial seat in April without opposition from another candidate.

Lawton's predecessor, J.M. Bitney, had retired last Sept. 15, but Gov. Tony Evers did not fill the vacancy, leaving Judges Maureen Boyle and James Babler to cover the workload with help from retired judges.

Barron County is among the 14 counties in the 10th Judicial District, now under the leadership of Chief Judge John Anderson of Bayfield County. He and Washburn County Judge Angeline Winton, who has worked with Lawton in the past, delivered remarks during the 30-minute ceremony, along with Babler and Lawton’s father-in-law, Keith Moffatt.

Lawton most recently practiced law with the firm Lawton & Lawton in Spooner and Rice Lake.

The newest Barron County judge said he was a little more than terrified coming into his first day of work on June 24, as he was filling out Bitney’s term, because his experience was as an attorney.

It hasn’t always been an easy transition because not all of the skills he has cultivated as an attorney translates to the bench, but being a judge is a fulfilling job, he said.

“This position isn’t just a job,” he said. “It’s not just a paycheck, it’s not somewhere you go every day. It’s a role in our society central to the concepts of justice.”