Third Branch eNews

More than 200 people, including teachers, students and members of the public gathered at the Waupaca County Courthouse on Oct. 10 to observe oral argument in two cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as part of the Justice on Wheels outreach program. Waupaca marks the 32nd location Justice on Wheels has been held since the program began in 1993. Justice on Wheels is intended to make it easier for people who live outside the Madison area to see the Court in person and learn more about the legal system.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Julie Genovese and Barron County Circuit Court Judge James C. Babler recently traveled to five Wisconsin locations to present training sessions on effective case-management practices. The goal was to educate judges on how to manage their calendars post-pandemic, focusing primarily on felony cases. Both judges also teach Case and Calendar Management at the Judicial College.

A workgroup comprised of Office of Court Operations staff and district court administrators collaborated for more than 18 months to design and implement a new, updated array of statistical reports and analysis tools. With the support of the workgroup and several additional staff consultants from other Court System offices, including Consolidated Court Automation Programs (CCAP), Court Operations staff transitioned to a new data storage and analytics platform.

Director of State Courts Randy R. Koschnick has reconvened the Making the Record Committee to recommend possible statutory and rule changes that will help ensure Wisconsin courts have the ability to take the record and produce transcripts of court proceedings now and into the future. The reconvened committee met for the first time on Sept. 30 in Madison, and via Zoom.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court submitted its 2023-25 biennial budget request to the Legislature and Governor on Oct. 7, 2022. The request includes major investments in four new circuit court judgeships that were previously authorized under 2019 Wisconsin Act 184; $4 million in additional information technology funding for cybersecurity infrastructure; digital audio recording equipment for taking the record; additional funding to expand administrative resources in the Court of Appeals; and for programs under the Director of State Courts.

The October 2022 issue of Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, published by the State Bar of Wisconsin, features an article on family drug treatment courts written by Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas J. Walsh. The article explores how family drug treatment courts evolved and some of the successes and challenges in the process. The family drug treatment court model has much to offer parents, children, the community, the justice system and families generally, Walsh concludes. The article can be found here.