The Wisconsin Court System has begun work supported by a federal highway safety grant that funds a statewide Judicial Outreach Liaison position. The grant allows the Court System to expand its training and outreach efforts to support consistent and informed handling of impaired-driving and other traffic-safety cases.
Judge Todd E. Meurer was selected to serve in the liaison role beginning January 11, 2026. Judge Meurer is the municipal judge for the Western Dane County Joint Municipal Court and has long been involved in judicial education on traffic safety issues. He previously served as Manager of Municipal Court Education for the Office of Judicial Education and spent thirty years as a Dane County Circuit Court commissioner. His background includes service on several Wisconsin Supreme Court committees and work on both the Municipal Judges Benchbook and the Judicial Criminal Benchbook. He is also a co-author of the State Bar’s publication on traffic law.
The liaison position follows national best practices developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which highlight the value of judges learning from one another. The grant allows the Court System to support education, technical assistance, and outreach that help judges stay current on research related to impaired driving, evidence-based sentencing, driver risk assessment tools, and broader highway safety issues.
The liaison is a point of contact for judges across Wisconsin who handle traffic and impaired driving cases. Judge Meurer’s work will be directed by the Office of the Director of State Courts, and he has already begun working with the Office of Judicial Education, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Safety, and judicial outreach partners in other states. His work includes developing educational materials, speaking at judicial seminars, providing technical assistance upon request, and participating in statewide traffic safety and treatment court discussions.
The grant’s work plan calls for regular involvement in municipal and circuit court judge programs, collaboration with treatment court professionals, and participation in state and national conferences on impaired driving and highway safety. Each of these efforts helps ensure that Wisconsin judges have timely information and practical tools to address impaired driving and reduce recidivism.
The grant-funded work will continue throughout the grant period, with ongoing collaboration among judicial education staff, traffic safety partners, and judges statewide.