Vol 20 No 4 HIGHLIGHTS Fall 2 Director’s column 10 CCIP Permanancy Training 2012 4 Sports 12 Language Access Summit 6 Retirements 18 People 8 Judicial Conference 23 Firearm Surrender a publication of the Wisconsin Judiciary a publication of the Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, center, addresses the audience gathered to hear oral argument during the Supreme Court’s Justice on Wheels visit to Monroe in Green County on Nov. 5. Also pictured, from left to right, are justices Annette Kingsland Ziegler, David T. Prosser, Ann Walsh Bradley, N. Patrick Crooks, Patience Drake Roggensack and Michael J. Gableman. The visit marked the Court’s 23rd Justice on Wheels trip since 1993. Supreme Court draws crowd in Green County bout 250 people turned out to watch oral arguments at winner read her essay aloud for the Court and audience. This Athe new Green County Justice Center when the year, the first-place winner was Allison Brennan of St. Victor Wisconsin Supreme Court made an historic visit there Nov. School in Monroe; second place, Henry Schluesche of St. 5. Following tradition, the Court opened its visit with a Victor School; third place, Bryce Shimko of Albrecht welcome ceremony that included state legislators, county Elementary School. board supervisors and other local elected officials and The justices also attended a luncheon at Turner Hall hosted community leaders. by the Green County Bar Association and addressed a large The Court also presented awards to three local fifth graders gathering at the Behring Senior Center. who participated in the Supreme Court Essay Contest. The This was the Supreme Court’s 23rd trip as part of Justice contest has been run since 1995, and proves to be a highlight on Wheels, which was launched in 1993 to help improve of each of the Court’s trips. The top three essayists received public understanding of the Supreme Court. Each term, a plaques signed by all seven justices, and the first-place different location is selected. n OBITUARIES Judge John L. Coffey U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit Wisconsin Supreme Court Milwaukee County Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice John L. Coffey passed away on Nov. 10 at the age of 90. Coffey served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1977 until his appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Coffey served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. A graduate Sgt. Jeremy M. Wilson, Photo Credit: Staff Air Refueling Wing 128th of Marquette University and In carrying out his duties as a U.S. Air Force colonel, District 10 Marquette University Law Court Administrator Scott K. Johnson, (AKA: Col. Scott The Third Branch School, Coffey was appointed Johnson, Mission Support Group commander, 128th Air city attorney for Milwaukee in Refueling Wing), greets President Barack Obama Nov. 3 at the Wisconsin Air National Guard base in Milwaukee. Obama was 1949. He was elected a civil court in Milwaukee to make an appearance at the Delta Convention judge for Milwaukee County in Center downtown. Johnson, who was promoted to colonel by 1954, and elected a municipal the Air Force earlier this year, has served in the military for judge in 1960, before being more than 30 years and been deployed more than 40 times. Judge John L. Coffey Greeting the president, who also serves as commander in chief see Obituaries on page15 of the military, was a distinct honor, Johnson said. www.wicourts.gov 2 Fall 2012 Director’s column: Legislative agenda requires proactive approach THE THIRD BRANCH By A. John Voelker, Director of State Courts Proactive. The dictionary defines it as “acting in advance l Remove an outdated provision in s. 59.40(2)(j), to deal with an expected difficulty.” Stephen Covey, author Wis. Stats., relating to lists of notaries public. of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, notes that “If The Legislative Committee hopes to finalize the you’re proactive, you don’t have to wait for circumstances legislative agenda by the end of the year. It is our hope that or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. starting the legislative session with specific ideas will You can consciously create your enhance our potential for success. Your participation, either own.” with new ideas, comments on current bill drafts, or by On the same topic of communicating with your local legislators will also preparation, Bobby Knight stated, contribute to our success. “The will to win is not as Another area in which we are being proactive involves the important as the will to prepare to state budget, which will be introduced by the governor in win.” February. Our budget, developed with the guidance of the As campaigns end, and the Supreme Court’s Planning and Policy Advisory Committee results of the November election (PPAC), reflects our initiatives as a court system and as a become final, a new Legislature partner with Wisconsin counties. will start its work in January. Initiatives in our 2013-15 state budget include: If this session is like others we l Judicial Compensation: Requests a 6.54 percent could see as many as 1,300 bills increase to judicial salaries, which would bring salaries A. John Voelker introduced over the coming closer to the national average. This is a significant months. A number of these bills will likely affect the courts institutional issue. A recent editorial in the Wisconsin to some extent, some significantly. As the bills are State Journal, which supports the idea of pay raises for introduced and work their way through the legislative state employees, noted: “No operation public or private process, we will monitor and react to these bills, with the can keep talent if compensation languishes for too guidance of the Judicial Conference Legislative Committee. long.” The editorial went on to note that “a bump in pay However, to make the most of a legislative session, we is warranted for a job well done.” also need to be proactive. We need to act in advance. We l Consolidation and Formula Revision of the County need to create our own legislative agenda. Circuit Courts’ Financial Assistance Programs: Combine Since July, the Legislative Committee has been soliciting the circuit court support payment program and Guardian ideas for legislative change. Changes that address system ad Litem payment program into one program to add needs or alleviate systemic problems, both large and small. $7.3 million in each year of the biennium. Create a new Some ideas have already been drafted into bills that can be formula to divide the combined funds using the number introduced at the start of the session. Other issues are being of circuit court branches, the judicial need, and the studied and monitored so we are prepared to act when amount of collection by each county. necessary. l Small claims clerk of circuit courts fee: Raise to $31 Some of the highlights of the current legislative agenda to help the counties recoup the amount of money they include drafts on the following topics: lost when the small claims jurisdictional limit was l Expunction - expand Wis. Stat. § 973.015 to include changed. forfeiture actions, dismissed and acquittal cases; petition l Staff Attorney Position/Court of Appeals: Add a new may be brought at any time regardless of age. While this staff attorney position with the Court of Appeals to bill is drafted, revision is likely to continue, based on assist with a shift in the workload. feedback. l Non-judicial Compensation Plan: Change to provide l Judicial Council - comprehensive revision to the access to the non-judicial compensation money that is Criminal Code, which is still being revised for possible put aside for merit pay in the other branches of introduction sometime during the legislative session. government. This will allow us to access that fund for l Judgeship Bill – The Committee of Chief Judges and funding increases for non-judicial employees. its workload subcommittee will continue to evaluate l Out-of-State Interpreter Travel: Eliminate the in-state- judicial workload and the number of judicial officers only restrictions placed on travel that is reimbursed to required to carry out the work of the courts. out-of-state interpreters per Wis. Stat. § 814.67(1)(c) to l Statutory Clean-up bills, including: reimburse out-of-state interpreters for their out-of-state l Change s. 230.33(1), Wis. Stats., to prohibit a mileage up to 200 miles – 100 miles each way. person appointed to a judicial vacancy by the At times, the legislative process can be challenging or governor from taking an unpaid leave of absence discouraging. But, as Michael Jordan said: “If you accept from a state agency. the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then l Amend s. 972.02(2), Wis. Stats., to bring its you never will change the outcome. n provisions in line with case law outlawing six- person juries in criminal misdemeanor cases. 3 Fall Wisconsin Law Foundation presents portrait 2012 of Justice Bablitch to citizens of Wisconsin THE THIRD BRANCH A portrait of the late Supreme Court Justice William A. Bablitch was presented to the Wisconsin Supreme Court during a brief ceremony Nov. 15. Among those who attended, from left, were Susan Axelrod, Jon P. Axelrod, Kristin Crooks, Ann Milne, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, Justice N. Patrick Crooks, and Justice David T. Prosser Jr. he Wisconsin Supreme Court recently accepted a state Senate. We are honored to accept this portrait on Tportrait of the late Justice William A. Bablitch from the behalf of the Court,” Crooks said.