Rule-making process

The Supreme Court has rule making authority under Wis. Stat. § 751.12 and under its administrative authority over all courts conferred by Article VII, §3 of the Wisconsin Constitution. The court has adopted internal operating procedures that govern the rule-making process. Wisconsin Supreme Court Internal Operating Procedures, III .

In June 2010 the Wisconsin Supreme Court created an advisory committee to review and provide recommendations on the Supreme Court's rule making process.

How to file a rule petition

Any person may initiate a change in Supreme Court Rules, pleading, practice, and procedural statutes, and administrative matters by submitting a petition to the Supreme Court. (See Wis. Stat. § 751.12 and Supreme Court Internal Operating Procedures II.B.5. and III.) In order to ensure the adequacy of a petition and to promote consistency in the format of petitions, the petitioner should follow the guidelines below.

A petition to the Supreme Court to create a new rule or to change an existing rule must be filed with a supporting memorandum and cover sheet. The cover sheet and guidelines for rules submissions are available in MS Word and Adobe PDF formats.

How to comment on a rule petition

Any person may submit a comment to a pending rule petition during the comment period. All comments should be filed pursuant to the guidelines below. All comments will be reviewed and screened for inappropriate content. Comments which pass review will be filed as part of the public record of the rule petition.

Guidelines

I. Submitting a comment to a rules petition: A comment to a pending rule petition shall be submitted in hard copy (include one original and nine copies). The paper copies shall be mailed to the Clerk of the Supreme Court, P.O. Box 1688, Madison, WI 53701.

A person submitting a comment shall email an electronic copy of the comment in MS Word format to the Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court at clerk@wicourts.gov.

II. Contents of comment: The comment shall identify the rule petition to which it relates.

III. Service of comment on petitioner: A copy of the comment shall be forwarded to the petitioner in a timely manner. See the rule petition for the name and contact information of petitioner.