Vol. 76, No. 2, February
2003
Court's history display begins 12-month
journey, reenactment of State Bar founding kicks off year of historical
events
History buff and former State Bar President Steve Sorenson opens the
reenactment ceremony of the founding of the Wisconsin Bar Association on
Jan. 9 at the Capitol.
Early this month, an exhibit depicting the Wisconsin Supreme Court's
history began a statewide 12-month journey. The exhibit, which
highlights famous cases on slavery, women's rights, industry, and
religious freedom, was developed by a multidisciplinary Legal History
Committee to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Wisconsin Supreme
Court.
The exhibit was on display at the Capitol on Jan. 9 during the State
Bar's 125th anniversary reenactment of the creation of the State Bar
Association, which took place in the old Capitol in Madison on the same
date in 1878.
Supreme court history exhibit schedule
The history display will be on exhibit in the county courthouses in
these 12 communities. Each stop will be kicked off with a press event
featuring a local judge, the county bar president, and a supreme court
justice.
For more information, contact Amanda K. Todd at (608)
264-6256.
February - Janesville
March - Racine
April - Waukesha
May - Milwaukee (Annual
Convention)
June - Oshkosh
July - Rhinelander
August - Wausau
September - Green Bay
October - Superior
November - Eau Claire
December - La Crosse
January 2004 - Madison
"The idea of a reenactment occurred to me after I read the minutes of
the first State Bar Association meeting," says former State Bar
President Steve Sorenson. "As a history buff, I was excited about
discovering the underlying reasons for the formation of our association.
As a frustrated actor, I was more excited about the idea of actually
bringing these people to life and telling their story. After months of
research and writing I was extremely pleased to have five past State Bar
presidents participate and seven in the audience."
"The new year will be full of opportunities to share information
about the rich history of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which reflects
the history of our state," said Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, who
serves as Legal History Committee chair.
Wisconsin's legal community will remember its legal history at the
2003 Annual Convention on May 7 - 9 at the Midwest Airlines Center in
Milwaukee, which will include a Spotlight CLE program focusing on famous
cases and legal giants shaping Wisconsin yesterday and today. The
supreme court's display will be at the convention, and the State Bar
will have a display showcasing historical documents and memorabilia.
For more information about up-coming events, contact the State Bar at
(800) 728-7788, (608) 257-3838, or www.wisbar.org.
Web site translates simple documents in seven
languages
FreeTranslation.com offers instant, free translation of text or Web
pages. Computers can translate much more quickly and cost effectively
than human translators; however, to publish a perfect translation, a
human translator is required, warns Francisco Araiza, Wisconsin Hispanic
Lawyers' Association president.
"My firm recently used FreeTranslation.com to translate a tax
document from French to English," says attorney Mark Munson, Hess,
Dexter, Reinertson & Brunner S.C., Wausau. "Translating a complex
document did result in errors, which caused some confusion. However, the
benefit of instant translation was helpful, and we would definitely use
the site again."
"FreeTranslation.com can certainly decrease the time spent by a
translator on a document," says Araiza. "However, to ensure accurate
translation, the person using the service must be fluent in both
languages."
The site provides translation from English to French, German,
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Norwegian; and to English from French,
German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Mandatory court form updates include general
and juvenile forms
As of Dec. 10, 2002, the Wisconsin Records Management Committee
(RMC), an advisory committee to the Director of State Courts Office,
which develops and distributes mandated forms, released the following
general and juvenile forms. New (N) / Revised (R).
General
GF-105 (R) Order to Garnishee/Release of Garnishee
GF-160 (R) Order Appointing Supplemental Court Commissioner
GF-171 (R) Judgment for Unpaid Fines, Forfeitures and Other Financial
(Previously CR-225)
Juvenile
JC-1630 (R) Petition for Termination of Parental Rights
JC-1692 (R) Injunction (Child Abuse)
JD-1710 (R) Temporary Physical Custody Request
JD-1712 (R) Waiver of Participation in Physical Custody Hearing
JD-1792 (N) Order for Change of Placement (Out of Home to In Home).
Forms, form summaries, background, and information on using standard
court forms are available online in PDF or MS Word format at
http://www.courts.state.wi.us/circuit/search_forms.html or visit
wisbar.org/forms. A list of forms released by the RMC in 2002 through
October was published in the December 2002 Wisconsin
Lawyer.
For more information, contact Judy Mahlkuch or call
(608) 266-7143.
Felony sentencing guidelines effective Feb.
1
Worksheets and notes supporting the temporary advisory felony
sentencing guidelines, which became effective on Feb. 1, are available
online at the State Bar and the Wisconsin Supreme Court Web sites. For
certain crimes, the use of the guidelines is required by 2001 Wis. Act
109 and will remain in effect until such time as the Sentencing
Commission modifies or replaces them.
The new Wisconsin Sentencing Guidelines comprise notes and
worksheets. The guidelines apply to:
- Robbery, Wis. Stat. § 940.225(2)
- Armed Robbery, Wis. Stat. § 943.32(2)
- Burglary, Wis. Stat. § 943.10(1)
- Theft (>$10,000), Wis. Stat. § 943.20
- Forgery/Uttering, Wis. Stat. § 943.38(1) and (2)
- Possession with Intent to Deliver Cocaine (1g or less), Wis. Stat.
§ 961.41(1)(cm)
- Possession with Intent to Deliver THC (200g-1000g), Wis. Stat.
§ 961.41(1m)(h)
- First Degree Sexual Assault, Wis. Stat. § 940.225(1)
- Second Degree Sexual Assault, Wis. Stat. § 940.225(2)
- First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, Wis. Stat. §
948.02(1)
- Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, Wis. Stat. §
948.02(2)
The guidelines and worksheets are the work product of the Criminal
Penalties Study Committee (CPSC), which was created with the passage of
1997 Wis. Act 283. The committee was charged with preparing temporary
sentencing guidelines, building the framework for a sentencing
commission, and reclassifying Wisconsin's criminal laws.
A feature article, "Fully Implementing Truth-in-Sentencing," by
Michael B. Brennan, Thomas J. Hammer, and Donald V. Latorraca, was
published in the November 2002 Wisconsin Lawyer and is
available at www.wisbar.org/wislawmag.
The article provides an in-depth look at the work of the CPSC and the
resulting substantial changes in Wisconsin sentencing laws.
For more information, including downloadable forms and worksheets, or
to read the committee's final report, visit www.wisbar.org.
Wisconsin
Lawyer