State-Tribal Justice Forum
The general charge of the State-Tribal Justice Forum is to promote and sustain communication, education and cooperation among tribal and state court systems. The Forum meets quarterly and includes five circuit court judges, five tribal judges, one tribal attorney and one district court administrator. The director of state courts serves as an ex officio member of the Forum.
Committee membership
| Name | Affiliation/Location |
|---|---|
| Hon. John Anderson (Co-Chair) | Bayfield County Circuit Court |
| Hon. Gwendolyn Topping (Co-Chair) | Red Cliff Tribal Court |
| Hon. Robert J. Collins II | Oneida Nation Family Court |
| Hon. Mark Goodman | Monroe County Circuit Court |
| Hon. William Kussel | Shawano County Circuit Court |
| Hon. Bridget Long | Menominee Tribal Court |
| Hon. JoDeen Lowe | Ho Chunk Tribal Court |
| Hon. Elaine H. Smith | Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Court |
| Hon. Leon Stenz | Forest County Circuit Court |
| Attorney Paul Stenzel | |
| Attorney Douglas Twait | Wisconsin Judicare |
| Mr. Ross Munns, District Court Administrator | Tenth Judicial District |
| Hon. Audrey K. Skwierawski, Director of State Courts (ex officio) | Wisconsin Court System |
In July of 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance sponsored a national gathering to foster tribal-federal-state court relations. This conference, titled Walking on Common Ground: Pathways to Equal Justice, served as the catalyst for Wisconsin to reconvene its State-Tribal Justice Forum, which began meeting in 2006.
The Forum's most recent efforts have centered on issues of concurrent jurisdiction and transfer of jurisdiction. Through the Discretionary Transfer of Civil Cases to Tribal Court, Wisconsin state courts have the ability to transfer civil cases of concurrent jurisdiction to tribal courts when deemed appropriate through the application of enumerated standards.
View the rule
View the amendment to the rule
View the order adopting the rule permanently
For more information, contact the Office of Court Operations at (608) 266-3121.