Scott Walker appoints Husch Blackwell lawyer to court seat vacated by Justice Rebecca Dallet

Gov. Scott Walker has appointed Andrew A. Jones, a partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell, to fill the Milwaukee County Circuit Court seat vacated by Rebecca Dallet's election to Supreme Court.

Jones of Whitefish Bay was the sole applicant for the possible appointment, and Walker officially named him to the bench Thursday.

Jones will face an election next spring to keep the job, however. Danielle Shelton, an assistant public defender and Army veteran, announced her candidacy for the Branch 40 seat in June.

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Jones' practice has concentrated on defending health care companies, local governments and employers, according to his firm bio. Husch Blackwell, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., has offices in Milwaukee and around the country.

He earned a bachelor's degree at Duke University and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1994.

Dallet beat Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock in the April election to replace Justice Michael Gableman, who is not seeking a second 10-year term on the high court.

Jones becomes Walker's 68th judicial appointment since taking office in 2011, including seven Court of Appeals judges and two Supreme Court justices.