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The Third Branch is a quarterly publication of the Director of State Courts Office, providing news of interest to the Wisconsin Court System. Comments and suggestions may be directed to Tom Sheehan.
Current issue - Summer 2009
Use the links below to navigate the current issue or view the PDF version  (printable version)
Featured stories
Budget affects court finances, policy
The new 2009-11 biennial budget bill was signed by Gov. Jim Doyle on June 29. In signing the bill, the governor made several vetoes that will affect the courts.
CCAP expands electronic case filing initiative
Electronic case filing will soon be available to Wisconsin circuit courts that use CCAP case management. The new system will allow court officials and litigants to view documents online, allow officials to electronically sign documents, and reduce filing costs.
Video visits to link parents, juveniles
Children incarcerated in state juvenile institutions will now be able to have contact with their parents in Dane County through videoconferencing, thanks to a grant from the Office of Justice Assistance. The grant will allow the Dane County Juvenile Court to purchase equipment to establish videoconferencing connection from the City-county Building in Madison.
Director's column: State budget creates challenging environment
Director of State Courts A. John Voelker discusses the new biennial state budget and how it will affect the court system.
New budget changes sentencing practices
The new state budget includes changes in sentencing practices. The budget will allow the Department of Corrections to have more authority to manage the inmate populations as well as establish new early release provisions.
Vetoes revise Justice Reinvestment proposals
Several suggestions made by the Legislative Council's Special Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight were vetoed from the state budget by Gov. Jim Doyle. The committee introduced four pieces of legislation based on data about the state's corrections and criminal justice system.
Court programs for veterans move forward
Specialty court programs for veterans were the focus of conference attended by justice system partners from around the state.
Ozaukee County Bar honored for Family Law Center
The State Bar of Wisconsin honored the Ozaukee County Bar Association with an Award of Achievement for their Family Law Center project that assists self-represented litigants.
Schanker selected as 2009 Henry Toll Fellow
Wisconsin Supreme Court Clerk David Schanker has been selected for the Toll Fellowship Program. Shanker will attend the seminar with other state leaders from across the country.
Web site enhances restorative justice program
The Marathon County Bar Association's Web site providing information on the county's restorative justice program has been recognized by the State Bar of Wisconsin with an Award of Exceptional Achievement.
Law Foundation grant to support rare-language training
The Director of State Courts Office has received a grant for training court interpreters who speak rare languages. The trainings will help meet the increasing demands for interpreters of rare languages in the court system.
District 10 holds cracker barrel conversation
Representatives from state and tribal courts in District 10 met in May to discuss communication and relationship building.
Newspaper gets scoop on judge's sister
The sister of a Waukesha County circuit court judge received a surprise visitor at her custard shop in Alexandria, Va.
Five district chief judges reappointed
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reappointed five judges to continue serving as chief judges for their judicial administrative districts.
Judicial assistant wins big on 'Jeopardy!'
Supreme Court Judicial Assistant Ingrid Nelson came home a winner after her appearance on "Jeopardy!"
Appellate eFiling comes to Wisconsin
Attorneys and self-represented litigants can now file their briefs, no-merit reports and rules petitions electronically through the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals eFiling system.
Online payment of court fees grows
More and more people are taking advantage of the online payment option for paying fines, forfeitures, and other debts. The electronic payment program is currently available in 27 counties.
Milestone: Judge celebrates 50 years on the bench
Judge Gary B. Schlosstein recently celebrated his 50th anniversary on the Wisconsin bench. He served in Buffalo and Pepin Counties, and has continued to serve as a reserve judge since his retirement from the circuit court.
District trainings offered on evidence-based practices and substance use
The Children's Court Improvement Program and JEHT Foundation are offering a one-day training this fall in each judicial district to discuss evidence based practices to drug and alcohol use.
STOP Grant provides opportunities to improve court practices
For the past five years, the Director of State Courts Office has received federal grant funding to address court practices in handling domestic violence and sexual assault cases.
Wisconsin Connects: Beijing lawyer visits Wisconsin courts
Wisconsin recently hosted a lawyer who drafts legislation in Beijing for China's Legislative Affairs Office.
Six new circuit court judges appointed
Gov. Jim Doyle has appointed six new judges to serve on the circuit court. Three of these judges will fill vacancies in Dane County. The remaining three were appointed to start their terms early, after having been elected this past April.
Roundtable talks with media help keep judges in the loop
Several meetings between judges and journalists have been held to open lines of communication and discuss how recent changes in the media may affect the courts.
New juvenile court clerks orientation offered
The Wisconsin Juvenile Court Clerk's Association partnered with the Children's Court Improvement Program to provide an orientation program to new juvenile court clerks. More experienced clerk-mentors were paired with the new clerks to share experiences and answer questions.
Governor signs Judicial Council bills into law
Several Wisconsin judges and Supreme Court justices were on hand as Gov. Jim Doyle signed three bills in to law. The bills were introduced by the Wisconsin Judicial Council and address appellate procedural changes.
PPAC meets with Supreme Court, sets priorities
PPAC planning subcommittee members met with the Supreme Court to update the Court on the budget and pending legislation.
Court system handouts available on online
Several informational handouts on the court system are available for download from the court system's Web site.
Awards
Regular features
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