Recent Blog Postings

What’s it like to argue a case before the Seventh Circuit – via Zoom? In October 2020, Milwaukee attorney Nick Zales did just that, and discusses just what it was like to embrace the appellate Zoom experience.

An appellate eFiling petition and rule amendments are now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court for approval. Eric Pearson outlines the petition and proposed changes, where to find more information about the petition, and where to file any comments.

Meet the champions of the Appellate Practice Section’s third Best Briefs Competition. What did it take to find them? Jacques Condon talks about the winners and the competition.

The U.S. Supreme Court has now weighed in on sexual-orientation and gender-identity discrimination and protections in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Erin Strohbehn and Max T. Stephenson discuss the recent decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia.

The U.S. Supreme Court may soon make a determination on whether sexual-orientation and gender-identity discrimination is a discrimination based on sex. Erin Strohbehn and Max T. Stephenson discuss the cases before the Court that address protections in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In this six-part series, Jacques Condon takes a look at the concept and reality of standards of review in appeals. In this sixth and final part, he discusses the appellate review through the courts. “Justice,” he says “takes on the eye of the beholder.”

In this six-part series, Jacques Condon takes a look at the concept and reality of standards of review in appeals. In this fifth part, he contemplates how the intersections of different standards of review may come into play in the case involving the horse disqualified from a first-place finish at the 2019 Kentucky Derby. “Can a decision to disqualify truly be unappealable?” he asks.

In this six-part series, Jacques Condon takes a look at the concept and reality of standards of review in appeals. In this fourth part, he dissects a few thorny considerations and advises a cautionary approach to review. “Many issues require proceeding with caution in defining the applicable reviewing standard,” he writes.

In this six-part series, Jacques Condon takes a look at the concept and reality of standards of review in appeals. In this third part, he discusses additional standards of review and policy considerations involved in appellate issues and cases. “There are multiple standards, policies, and terminologies to consider,” he writes.

In this six-part series, Jacques Condon takes a look at the concept and reality of standards of review in appeals. In this second part, he explores the nuances of a de novo review. “To understand the concept of ‘de novo’ requires some back-tracking,” he writes.

In this six-part series, Jacques Condon takes a look at the concept and reality of standards of review in appeals. In this first part, he sets up the situation, based on the dethroning of 2019 Kentucky Derby first-place finisher, Maximum Security. “As the actual rule – and standard of review – will be front and center,” he writes.

What’s it like to witness an argument before the U.S. Supreme Court? Shelley Fite takes us to Washington, D.C., where she will watch her husband argue his case before the country’s highest court.

Welcome to Sua Sponte, the blog of the State Bar of Wisconsin Appellate Practice Section. Blog editor Jacques Condon talks about the blog, and what it means for section members.