2015

12/08/15 Open rules conference
The Supreme Court December 14, 2015 open rules conference agenda is now available. More detailed information about pending rules petitions and about the rule-making process is also available. Read more.
11/23/15 Newspaper highlights judge's successful plea to find boy a home
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Christopher R. Foley has made headlines in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the second time this year—all for good cause. In a Nov. 22 column entitled “Judge’s rare public plea finds adoptive family for teen,” columnist Jim Stingl declared: “It worked!” regarding Foley’s effort to find a home for 14-year-old Napoleon “Polo” Scott. Read more and see photos here. (external link) Read more.
11/13/15 More than 300 Wisconsin judges gather to learn, share ideas at conference
More than 300 Wisconsin judges participated in a wide range of educational opportunities at the 51st annual meeting of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference held Nov. 11-13 in Middleton. Read more.
11/13/15 Court of Appeals to hear oral argument at Portage County Courthouse
A three-judge panel of the District IV Court of Appeals will travel to Stevens Point on Nov. 23 to hear oral argument in an appeal of issues relating to a real estate case that originated in the Wood County Circuit Court. Read more.
11/11/15 Chief Justice Roggensack delivers State of the Judiciary
Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack gave the annual State of the Judiciary address this morning during the Wisconsin Judicial Conference at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton. The text of the speech is available here. Read more.
11/10/15 State of the Judiciary address set for Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015
Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack will deliver the annual State of the Judiciary address at the Wisconsin Judicial Conference at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. Members of the media are welcome to cover the speech. The text of the speech will be available on the Court System website immediately following the speech. The Wisconsin Judicial Conference is the annual gathering of most of the state's trial and appellate court judges. Read more.
10/27/15 E-mail scam uses court appearance as ploy
Residents in several Wisconsin communities have recently reported being targeted by an e-mail scam in which the message appears to be a notice to appear in court. The message includes an attachment that may damage a computer if opened. Similar scams have been reported in recent years throughout the country, according to a warning about such scams from the federal courts. Read more.
10/26/15 Treatment court training focuses on standards, performance measures
More than 500 people from 58 Wisconsin treatment court programs received training in treatment court standards and performance measures during sessions held at six locations across the state this fall. Read more.
10/19/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts 12 new cases
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept 12 new cases and acted to deny review in a number of other cases. The case numbers, issues, and counties of origin of granted cases are listed. Hyperlinks to Court of Appeals decisions are also provided where available. The synopses provided are not complete analyses of the issues presented. More information about any particular case before the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals can be found on the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Access website. Read more.
10/12/15 Justice Rebecca G. Bradley joins the Wisconsin Supreme Court
Justice Rebecca G. Bradley was sworn in as a Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court during a ceremony in the Supreme Court Hearing Room at the State Capitol Monday, Oct. 12. Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack administered the Oath of Office. Additional information about Justice Rebecca Bradley can be found here. Read more.
09/28/15 Conference on Child Welfare and the Courts to examine effects of childhood trauma
More than 500 court, child welfare, school, law enforcement, and legal professionals will attend the "2015 Conference on Child Welfare and the Courts: Moving Toward a Trauma-Informed Wisconsin" scheduled from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Read more.
09/25/15 Wisconsin court data site to implement "CAPTCHA" protection
On Sept. 28, the Wisconsin court system will implement a CAPTCHA feature on its Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) website to help prevent automated attempts to extract circuit court data from the website. Read more.
09/23/15 Justice N. Patrick Crooks touched the lives of many
"Justice N. Patrick Crooks ("Pat") was not just a good man who touched the lives of those who knew him with his smile, his kindness, his intelligence and his charm—he was a good man who also touched the lives of countless people whom he never even met through his decisions and volunteerism." Read the full obituary here. Read more.
09/21/15 Chief Justice Roggensack statement on passing of Justice N. Patrick Crooks:
“Justice Crooks was an outstanding jurist, a thoughtful decision-maker and a colleague with a wonderful Irish sense of humor. In addition to having served as a circuit court judge and on the Supreme Court, Justice Crooks made significant contributions to the legal profession as a lawyer and a teacher. He was a good friend and colleague, and he will be greatly missed by all.” Read more.
09/17/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court visits Lancaster on Constitution Day
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is celebrating Constitution Day in Lancaster, Wisconsin by taking its work on the road as part of the Justice on Wheels public outreach program. Grant County is the 26th Justice on Wheels outreach visit. Read more.
09/16/15 Justice N. Patrick Crooks will not seek another term on Wisconsin Supreme Court
Justice N. Patrick Crooks today announced that he will not seek re-election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His current term ends on July 31, 2016, at which time he will have served nearly 39 years as a Wisconsin judge, including 20 years as a Supreme Court justice. Read more.
09/10/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts one new case
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept one new case and has acted to deny review in a number of other cases. Read more.
09/08/15 New brochure highlights Wisconsin State Law Library resources
The Wisconsin State Law Library has developed a new brochure to highlight the many different reasons lawyers, other legal professionals, business owners, students, and the public should take advantage of the many resources at the library and its branches. The brochure, entitled "Explore, Inform, Connect" is now available at the State Law Library, 120 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Madison, and at its branch libraries in the Milwaukee and Dane County courthouses. Read more.
09/04/15 46 Wisconsin judges attend 48th annual Wisconsin Judicial College
Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack on Thursday presented certificates of completion to 26 newly elected and appointed judges who were graduated from the 48th annual Wisconsin Judicial College, held Aug. 31 to Sept. 4 at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. Read more.
08/31/15 "Justice on Wheels" brings Supreme Court to Grant County
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear three cases at the Grant County Courthouse in Lancaster on Sept. 17 as part of the Court'sJustice on Wheels outreach program. Grant is the 26th location outside Madison where oral arguments have been held since Justice on Wheels began in 1993. Read more.
08/26/15 All women judges at the helm of District I Court of Appeals
The women judges of the District I Court of Appeals are featured in the Aug. 26 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, both online and in the print edition. The appointment of Judge Rebecca G. Bradley to the bench marks the first time a Wisconsin Court of Appeals district bench consists only of women judges, the newspaper reported. The District I judges discuss the occasion with reporter Bruce Vielmetti. The article is available here. Read more.
08/12/15 Brown County Circuit Court judge selected to head Committee of Chief Judges
Chief Judge Donald R. Zuidmulder, Brown County Circuit Court, has been selected by fellow chief judges from across the state to chair the Committee of Chief Judges. Zuidmulder replaces outgoing chair Judge Jeffrey A. Kremers, Milwaukee County Circuit Court, who served the maximum three two-year terms as a chief judge. Read more.
07/08/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts five new cases
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept five new cases and has acted to deny review in a number of other cases. Read more.
06/29/15 Atty. Karla Baumgartner named director of Office of Judicial Education
Atty. Karla Baumgartner, who has been acting as interim director of Judicial Education since February 2014, has been named the director of the Office of Judicial Education. In that role, she will continue to develop judicial curriculum and training programs, plan the department budget, ensure judicial credits are accurately recorded, and supervise department staff. Read more.
06/15/15 100 years later, Wisconsin Supreme Court murals still tell stories
One hundred years ago this week, prominent American artist Albert Herter (1871-1950) slipped out of Madison without saying goodbye to the people who had hired him to paint murals for the Wisconsin Supreme Court Hearing Room in the new state Capitol. Read more.
06/15/15 800 years old: Magna Carta, Symbol of Freedom Under Law, still influential
Shaky cell phone video of King John of England (1166-1216) affixing his seal to Magna Carta has not yet surfaced on YouTube. So, you’ll have to rely on a visit to the Wisconsin Supreme Court Hearing Room to get a feel for what the scene may have been like 800 years ago in a meadow along the banks of the Thames River outside London. Read more.
05/29/15 Judge's courtroom kindness inspires legal career
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Christopher R. Foley is featured in a front-page column and photo in the May 29 print edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Foley’s simple gesture of letting a 13-year-old girl take the bench for a few minutes during an adoption proceeding in 2003 had profound influence. Christie Jones, now 25, graduated from Marquette Univesity Law School and was admitted to the bar by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on May 18. The Jim Stingl column is posted here. (external link) Read more.
05/28/15 J. Denis Moran appointed interim director of state courts
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed former Director of State Courts J. Denis Moran to serve as interim Director of State Courts, effective June 4, through Dec. 4, 2015, Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack announced today. Read more.
05/27/15 Court interpreter training planned for Wisconsin Rapids
The Director of State Courts Office is accepting applications for interpreter training to be held in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21 at the Hotel Mead Conference Center. Read more.
05/22/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts seven new cases
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept seven new cases and has acted to deny review in a number of other cases. The case numbers, issues, and counties of origin of granted cases are listed below, as are hyperlinks to Court of Appeals’ decisions where available. The synopses provided are not complete analyses of the issues presented. More information about any particular case can be found on the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Access website. Read more.
05/07/15 Supreme Court re-appoints chief judges of four judicial districts
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has re-appointed circuit court judges from Fond du Lac, Rock, Buffalo and Pepin, and St. Croix counties to new two-year terms as chief judges of their respective judicial administrative districts, effective Aug. 1. Read more.
05/07/15 Judge Lisa S. Neubauer appointed chief judge of the Court of Appeals
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed District II Court of Appeals Judge Lisa S. Neubauer, Racine, as chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for a three-year term, effective Aug. 2. Read more.
04/29/15 An Open Letter to the 2014 Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society members
All the justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court join me in thanking and congratulating the 398 attorneys who qualified for the Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society based on their pro bono contributions in 2014. These attorneys provided at least 50 hours of qualifying pro bono legal services to benefit people of limited means in 2014. Read more.
04/24/15 Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Maxine A. White appointed chief judge
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed Deputy Chief Judge Maxine A. White, Milwaukee County Circuit Court, to serve as chief judge of the state’s First Judicial District for a two-year term effective Aug. 1. Read more.
04/17/15 Names change for State Law Library branches
The Wisconsin State Law Library is changing the names of its branch locations at courthouses in Milwaukee and Madison to better reflect the nature of services provided to library users at those locations, said State Law Librarian Julie Tessmer. Read more.
04/15/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts five new cases
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept five new cases and acted to deny review in a number of other cases. Read more.
03/13/15 NCSC honors Wisconsin court interpreter manager
The National Center for State Courts has awarded a Distinguished Service Award to Atty. Carmel Capati, manager of the Wisconsin court interpreter program. Read more.
03/04/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts two new cases
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept two new cases and has acted to deny review in a number of other cases. Read more.
03/02/15 Chief Justice addresses Joint Committee on Finance
Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson today addressed the Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance. The text of the Chief Justice's remarks is available here. Read more.
03/02/15 Wisconsin selected for statewide initiative to expand evidence-based practices in criminal justice system
The National Institute of Corrections today announced that Wisconsin is one of three states to advance with a technical assistance grant program designed to improve public safety through the application of proven research in the criminal justice decision-making process. Read more.
02/25/15 Court interpreter training planned for Milwaukee
The Director of State Courts Office is accepting applications for interpreter training to be held in Milwaukee on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 at the Student Union at UW-Milwaukee. Read more.
02/03/15 February case of the month
The case of the month project provides high school teachers with some of the necessary tools to educate their students about the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Each month, during the Supreme Court's session, a "teachable" case will be highlighted. It will be chosen from the cases the Court will hear that month. February case of the month available here. Read more.
01/30/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts two new cases
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept two new cases and has acted to deny review in a number of other cases. The case numbers, issues, and counties of origin of granted cases are listed. Read more.
01/12/15 Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts three new cases
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept three new cases and has acted to deny review in a number of other cases. The case numbers, issues, and counties of origin of granted cases are listed. Read more.