Office of Judicial Education

chalkboard sign with 'Judicial Education' written on itThe Office of Judicial Education plans and conducts educational seminars and training activities for Wisconsin judges, assesses the value of courses offered elsewhere, and tracks credits earned by judges.

State Supreme Court rules (chapters 32 , 33 and 75 ) require Wisconsin judges and court commissioners to receive continuing education. Justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of Appeals, and circuit court judges must earn 60 credits of approved judicial education during each six-year period they are on the bench. Reserve judges, municipal judges and circuit court commissioners must meet similar continuing judicial education requirements.

Some administrative responsibilities of the office include reviewing and approving programs for credit, recording credits and issuing credit transcripts for Wisconsin judges, circuit court commissioners and other court staff, notifying judges of their compliance or non-compliance with continuing judicial education requirements and providing sponsorship to judges attending training sessions out of state.

Contact information

Office of Judicial Education
Morgan Young, Director
110 East Main Street, Suite 200
Madison, WI 53703-3328
Ph: (608) 266-7807
Fax: (608) 261-6650

Reference & resource materials/publications

Each year the Office of Judicial Education, with the guidance of five benchbook committees, revises and updates each of five Wisconsin Judicial Benchbooks. Benchbooks are desktop procedural reference texts for trial judges, and it is essential that they be kept current.

The Office of Judicial Education also revises and updates a number of other court-related publications including the Municipal Judge Benchbook, the Municipal Court Clerks Procedures Manual and the Municipal Court Directory. Through periodic newsletters and special alerts, the office also informs municipal judges about new legislation, new developments in other state agencies and important changes in the law that cannot await a scheduled municipal bench book update.

For specifics on continuing education requirements for judges, visit the court services for judges section.