Derek Mosley, J.D. - Things your History Teacher Didn’t Teach You – Blacks in History
Program Date: April 15, 2026
Derek Mosley JD, a 1995 graduate of Marquette University Law School, served as an assistant district attorney for Milwaukee County from 1995 to 2002. He was then appointed by the Milwaukee Common Council to fill the vacancy in Branch 2 of the city's Municipal Court starting on Aug. 1, 2002. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest African American to be appointed judge in the State of Wisconsin. In August 2004, he was first appointed Presiding Judge of the Milwaukee Municipal Court.
A role model who "shares of himself with great love and enthusiasm," Derek Mosley is most energized by bringing together people from different backgrounds and lived experiences to have honest and productive conversations about the issues that face us all. Now the director of Marquette University Law School's Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education, Mosley is combining a love for his community with a civic leadership role that is connecting cultures and communities by addressing the public policy issues important to Wisconsinites.
Derek Mosley is widely recognized for his passionate commitment to justice, community engagement, and educational outreach. Because he felt that the role of judge included civic and community leadership, Judge Mosley wore his black robe for 20 years while giving speeches at schools and throughout the community. "I wanted people to have a positive experience when they saw me on the bench." Mosley now lectures at Marquette University Law School and the University of Wisconsin as well as speaking both nationally and internationally about the rich and complex history of Black Americans and Unconscious Bias. He points out that biases have been embedded during a lifetime of language and images that have reinforced, at times unwittingly, those views. He notes that everyday decision making is affected by unconscious biases.
Judge Mosley sits on the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Froedtert Hospital, the Urban Ecology Center, the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, Safe & Sound, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, the United Way Diversity Leadership Committee and Trans Center for Youth. He also sits on the Supreme Court of Wisconsin's Judicial Education Committee.
He has received numerous awards recognizing his accomplishments, including the Leaders in the Law Award from the Wisconsin Law Journal, induction into the Milwaukee Community Journal's Academy of Legends, named one of the Philanthropic 5 by the United Way, and induction into the Milwaukee Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame.
As a kidney transplant recipient, he is an ardent supporter of Donate Life Wisconsin, the National Kidney Foundation and Versiti. In 2016 a Brookfield Judge and best friend extended Mosley's life by donating her kidney. Mosley currently serves as a Donate Life Hollywood advisor to the television and movie industries to promote accurate depictions of organ donation and transplant on television and in movies.
In his spare time Mosley is a local Milwaukee foodie and served as a 2022 James Beard Judge for the James Beard Foundation. Mosley was honored by the Milwaukee Press Club with the "Headliner of the Year" Award and named by the 2024 Business Champion by the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin.
As an assistant district attorney, Mosley represented the State of Wisconsin in more than 1,000 criminal prosecutions and helped found the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Community Prosecution Unit. This unit places assistant-district attorneys in neighborhoods throughout the City of Milwaukee to work with residents to reduce urban blight and to improve the quality of life. As the head of this unit, he helped to establish after-school programs, develop a Second Chance Felony Employment Initiative for offenders, close 100 drug houses and nuisance properties, and start a police and citizen crime fighting initiative, which targeted street drug dealing. This initiative, called "Operation Streetsweeper," was awarded the Law Enforcement Honor Award by the United States Department of Justice.
Derek Mosley | Marquette University Law School
Derek Mosley, Champion of Civil Discourse - Shepherd Express