Bill adds circuit court branches across Wisconsin

Gov. Tony Evers signed into law a bill authored by State Sen. Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) which will relieve the strain on our state’s court system by adding twelve additional circuit court branches. The bill, AB 470, was authored by Sen. Petrowski and State Rep. Ron Tusler (R-Harrison) and is now Act 184. It was co-sponsored by Rep. James Edming ( R - Glen Flora).

“There has been a growing need for additional capacity in our judicial system for a long time,” said Sen. Petrowski. “It is extremely gratifying to finally have this done.”

“The drug epidemic that has hit Wisconsin hard has driven caseloads up in courthouses around the state,” said Rep. Edming. “In some counties, including Sawyer and Marathon, which I represent, the caseload has reached the point where an additional judge is needed. This new law will help relieve some of the stress on the judicial system and allow the court system to more quickly and effectively meet the needs of the people it serves.”

Despite an increase in demand, a new court has not been added in Wisconsin since 2007. This has caused many counties to house the accused waiting for trial in their jail facilities for extended periods of time, at great cost to the local taxpayers.

“Swift justice isn’t a republican issue or a democratic issue,” said Sen. Petrowski, “it’s a constitutional issue. Part of the foundation of our country – in fact, the Sixth Amendment to our Constitution – requires that the accused receive a speedy trial. But with the back up in our court system, sometimes the accused is sitting for months awaiting trial. These delays not only deny justice to both victims and the accused, but also add enormous costs to the counties because of that increased wait time.”

An example of the high caseloads can be found in Sawyer County. In 2018, Sawyer County had 402 felony complaints filed in a one-judge county. In comparison, nearby Barron County had 452 felony complaints filed that were split amongst that county’s three judges.

“A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to sit on the bench for the day with Sawyer County Judge John Yackel and it became clear to me that day that he cannot do it alone as the only judge in Sawyer County,” said Rep. Edming. “As I began to look into this issue, I learned that Sawyer County was not the only place in the state facing high caseloads, and other counties, including Marathon, were in the same boat. While this new law does not guarantee new judges to any specific counties, it does provide counties, like Sawyer and Marathon, with the opportunity to submit their plans to the Director of State Courts for consideration.”

The legislation calls for the Director of State Courts to create an additional branch in a county if both a) the county board passes a resolution in support and b) the county will have appropriate facilities to house the new court ready by May 31 of the year in which the new branch is to be created. This new law allows for four new branches in 2021, four new branches in 2022, and four new branches in 2023.

Sen. Petrowski expressed his gratitude to Rep. Tusler and all their fellow legislators for their near-unanimous support of the bill and to the governor of his signing the measure into law. Speaking at the bill signing in Wausau today, Sen. Petrowski also thanked the many area judges who he worked with over the past few months who were instrumental in getting the bill passed, namely Judges Mike Moran and Greg Huber of Marathon County, Judge John Yackel of Sawyer County, and Judge Guy Dutcher of Waushara County, Judge Rod Smeltzer from Dunn County, Judge Jeff Froehlich from Calumet County, Chief Judge James Morrison from Marinette County, and Diane Fremgen, the Director of State Courts.

“Make no mistake, this was a tremendous group effort on behalf of all parties involved,” said Sen. Petrowski. “We would not have been successful without everyone coming together and working towards the same common goal.”