State Bar of Wisconsin

Nov. 19, 2009 – Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen finds that municipal courts may not charge a separate fee for each warrant or commitment order issued in a single proceeding. But the court may recover costs for each warrant and commitment order successfully served or executed by municipal employees – even if more than one is served or executed in a single municipal court action.

Nov. 18, 2009 – The Wisconsin Court of Appeals rejected due process arguments that the evidentiary rules at a civil commitment hearing should be as restrictive as those of a criminal trial.

Nov. 16, 2009 – Today the Federal Nominating Commission announced its recommendations for the pending vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The opening results from Judge Terence T. Evans’ announcement in July that he will be taking senior status in January 2010.

Nov. 12, 2009 – Madison lawyer Jacquelynn Rothstein will begin work on Jan. 4 as the Board of Bar Examiners director. The new director is expected to lead the board through reforms of continuing legal education accreditation and a review of the bar exam.

Nov. 11, 2009 – Veterans Day is observed across America each year to honor the past service and sacrifices made by the nation’s nearly 25 million military veterans. But in Wisconsin, Veterans Day 2009 offers an opportunity to look forward to the benefits of a new court program shaped by the state’s legal community and others to respond to the unique needs of combat veterans processing through the criminal justice system.

Nov. 10, 2009 – In oral arguments before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, justices probed the extent to which the state’s open records law excludes materials that do not relate to public business.

Nov. 5, 2009 – In an order denying a plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb suggested the class of plaintiffs challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s diploma privilege may be decertified.

Nov. 4, 2009 – In her 2009 State of the Judiciary Address Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson highlighted eight justice-related initiatives recently undertaken in Wisconsin counties. The programs, addressing drug, veteran, foreclosure mediation, tribal relations, child welfare, mental health, court interpreter, and substance abuse issues “demonstrate our creativity and commitment, and all foretell success in the years ahead.”

Nov. 4, 2009 – Following a public hearing on Nov. 2, the Wisconsin Supreme Court approved petition 09-06, which the State Bar filed this summer to amend Supreme Court Rule 10.04(1) to permit non-resident members of the State Bar to hold office as treasurer, secretary and chairperson of the Board of Governors.

Nov. 3, 2009 – The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously approved a petition to permit the Office of Lawyer Regulation to refer to the Wisconsin Lawyer Assistance Program those attorneys whose work is affected by alcoholism, depression, or other conditions.