Third Branch eNews

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Jean Bousquet has announced plans to retire, after nearly 30 years with the court system. Bousquet joined the courts as a court analyst in 1993. She became CCAP (Consolidated Court Automation Programs) director in 1998 and has served as CIO since 2001.

During that time, Bousquet led development and implementation of several major projects that now serve as the technology backbone of the court system, including a statewide electronic case management system, judicial dashboards, more than two dozen electronic data exchanges with business partners, and eFiling in the circuit and appellate courts. More recently, she and her team at CCAP have developed solutions to help the court system navigate its response to the pandemic and protect against cyber-attacks.

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, members of the Committee of Chief Judges and district court administrators held their annual joint meeting in Madison on April 5. The meeting provided not only a good opportunity for justices and judges to discuss administrative issues, but also to connect in person, said Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler, who presided over the meeting.

Justices heard presentations from three chief judges on how the pandemic has affected court operations in counties, large and small, and what is being done to address criminal case backlogs.

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Maria S. Lazar will transition to the Court of Appeals, and 16 new circuit court judges will take the bench Aug. 1 as a result of the April 5 Spring Election. Also on April 5, a new judge took the bench in Rock County, where Gov. Tony Evers appointed Judge Ashley Morse to fill the vacancy created by Judge Daniel T. Dillon’s retirement.

Federal COVID-19 program funding is helping connect Wisconsin families with technology and physical space to make it easier for them to work their way through the legal system.

The Children’s Court Improvement Program (CCIP) received federal funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to help ensure the safety, permanence, and well-being needs of children are met in a timely and complete manner.

The court system bids farewell to Judge Robert J. Shannon of Portage County Circuit Court.

After almost seven years on the Portage County Branch 2 bench, Judge Robert J. Shannon retired on April 8.