State Bar of Wisconsin

Legislation adds six new circuit court branches

Governor Jim Doyle has signed AB 393 into law as 2007 Act 23. It adds six new circuit court branches in Barron, Chippewa, Dodge, Green, Monroe, and St. Croix counties. State Bar President Tom Basting noted that the Bar “strongly supports this legislation, along with provisions included in the state budget adding courts in Juneau and Kenosha Counties. Wisconsin last added a judgeship in 1999 and a 2006 Judicial Needs Assessment study by the National Center for State Courts confirmed the need for additional judges in Wisconsin to keep pace with increasing caseloads. As caseloads grow, it is essential that all aspects of the justice system – including state public defenders, assistant district attorneys, and the courts – grow with them. I am very pleased that legislators recognize and are responding to these very real needs,” Basting concluded.