Justice Patience Drake Roggensack, who is retiring July 31, is profiled in the June issue of Wisconsin Lawyer, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s magazine. Roggensack was elected to the Supreme Court in 2003, but that was not her first run she made for the Court. In 1995 she decided to run after a conversation with a family friend that she took as a challenge. Read the full article, which traces her 27-year judicial career and accomplishments here.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Christopher R. Foley, who plans to retire in July 2023, was featured in a June 2 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article for presiding over his 4,000th adoption.
The article begins: “When Judge Christopher Foley made official the last adoption of his career Friday, he threw his arms in the air and cheered with the little boy he'd invited to sit on the bench… A longtime institution of Children's Court, the judge known for his joyful approach and care for the well-being of Milwaukee County's kids is retiring at 70 having presided over about 4,000 adoptions. He united families, fiercely advocated for children's best interests and in some cases, welcomed them into his own family.” Read the full article here.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed District One Court of Appeals Judge Maxine A. White as chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, effective Aug. 1, 2023. White will replace current Chief Judge William Brash III, who lost his bid for re-election to the First District bench in April.
Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and members of the Committee of Chief Judges held their annual joint meeting May 24 in Madison.
Agenda items included the Statewide Digital Court Reporter Program, Digital Audio Recording (DAR) and updates on what’s happening the state’s nine judicial administrative districts.
District Court Administrators Patrick Brummond and Jon Bellows, delivered a presentation on the use of a statewide remote digital court reporter pool to help address a shortage of available court reporters.
The Making the Record Committee, which was reconvened by Director of State Courts Randy R. Koschnick in September of 2022, has issued its final report and recommendations. The committee was asked to recommend necessary changes to promote the efficient use of available court reporting resources, and to maintain an effective method for taking and producing the court record now and into the future. The report includes an executive summary of the committee’s work and guidelines relating to court reporters, taking the record, and preserving the record. A copy of an Informational Bulletin containing the full report and recommendations can be found on CourtNet.
Seven women judges currently serving in the circuit courts of the Ninth Judicial Administrative District took a moment to pose for a photo at a district judges’ meeting May 4 at the Oneida County Courthouse in Rhinelander. That’s a record number of women judges in a district where it’s more common to have just a couple of women judges serving concurrently, said District Court Administrator Susan Byrnes.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed Racine County Clerk of Circuit Court Samuel A. “Sam” Christensen as Clerk of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, effective June 18.
Christensen, of Racine, will replace current Clerk of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Sheila T. Reiff, who is retiring after 43 years with the courts at the county and state levels.
“We look forward to working with Sam in his new role and want to recognize Sheila for her many accomplishments and years of dedicated service. Clerks of court are responsible for many of the vital business functions of the court system, including record-keeping and calendaring.
Their work keeps our courts running smoothly on a daily basis,” said Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler.
After 19 years on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 13 bench, Judge Mary E. Triggiano stepped down on June 2, 2023 to become the director for the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice at Marquette University Law School. Triggiano was first appointed to the circuit court in 2004. She was elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2011 and 2017. She did not seek re-election in 2023.
Director of State Courts Randy R. Koschnick presents Diane Fremgen with a plaque of appreciation from the Wisconsin Supreme Court on June 1 in Madison. Fremgen retired as Deputy Director for Court Operations on June 2, after 23 years with the court system. She previously served as Clerk of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, Winnebago County Clerk of Circuit Court and on the staff of the Winnebago County Clerk of Circuit Court’s office.
About 100 judges attended the 2023 Criminal Law & Sentencing Institute held May 10-12 in Appleton. Dr. Erik Knudson, Associate Medical Director at Mendota Mental Health Institute, was among presenters during a session on the State Department of Human Services Process.
