AB341: Bill Text

LRB-1768/1

RPN:kmg:jlb

1995 - 1996 LEGISLATURE

1995 Assembly BILL 341

April 28, 1995 - Introduced by Representatives Coggs, L. Young, Morris-Tatum, Williams, Riley and Turner, cosponsored by Senators Moore and George. Referred to Committee on Elections and Constitutional Law.

AB341,1,4 An Act to renumber and amend 752.04; to amend 753.06 (1) (a); and to create 752.04 (2) and 753.015 of the statutes; relating to: creating judicial subdistricts in Milwaukee County and adding circuit court branches in Milwaukee County.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, court of appeals judges are elected in each court of appeals district on an at-large basis for 6-year terms. Current law requires those judges to reside in the districts in which they were elected. Under this bill, court of appeals judges elected in district I (Milwaukee County) are elected in 4 appellate subdistricts consisting of specified Milwaukee County supervisory districts. The bill requires those judges to reside in the subdistricts in which they were elected.

Under current law, circuit judges are elected in each circuit on an at-large basis for 6-year terms. Current law requires those judges to reside in the circuits in which they were elected. This bill adds 4 branches to the Milwaukee County circuit, bringing the number of branches to 50. Under this bill, circuit judges elected in the 1st judicial administrative district (Milwaukee County) are elected in 25 judicial subdistricts consisting of the Milwaukee County supervisory districts. The bill requires those judges to reside in the subdistricts in which they were elected.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB341, s. 1 Section 1. 752.04 of the statutes is renumbered 752.04 (1) and amended to read:

AB341,2,8 752.04 (1) Court Except as provided in sub. (2), court of appeals judges shall be elected by district on an at-large basis for terms of 6 years. Terms shall commence on August 1 next succeeding each election and shall terminate on July 31. A court of appeals judge shall reside within the district in which he or she is elected. A court of appeals judge elected under sub. (2) shall reside within the subdistrict in which he or she is elected. Only one court of appeals judge may be elected in a district in any year, except that in district I only one court of appeals judge may be elected in a subdistrict in any year.

AB341, s. 2 Section 2. 752.04 (2) of the statutes is created to read:

AB341,3,4 752.04 (2) In district I, elections shall be conducted in 4 appellate subdistricts. The 1st appellate subdistrict shall consist of the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 13th Milwaukee County supervisory districts, plus all parts of the 16th Milwaukee County supervisory district between Vliet Street on the north and Wisconsin Avenue on the south. The 2nd appellate subdistrict shall consist of the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 15th, 18th and 25th Milwaukee County supervisory districts, plus all parts of the 16th Milwaukee County supervisory district north of Vliet Street. The 3rd appellate subdistrict shall consist of the 4th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 17th and 24th Milwaukee County supervisory districts, plus that part of the 16th Milwaukee County supervisory district to the east of North 76th Street and to the south of Wisconsin Avenue. The 4th appellate subdistrict shall consist of the 11th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd Milwaukee County supervisory districts plus that part of the 16th Milwaukee County supervisory district west of North 76th Street. Within one year after the number of court of appeals judges in district I changes or after the number of Milwaukee County supervisory districts changes the Milwaukee County board of supervisors shall create appellate subdistricts in a number not less than 4 that results in an equal number of court of appeals judges within each appellate subdistrict. The appellate subdistricts shall be substantially equal in population. The Milwaukee County board of supervisors shall assign each judge of the court of appeals to an appellate subdistrict created under this subsection.

AB341, s. 3 Section 3. 753.015 of the statutes is created to read:

AB341,3,8 753.015 Elections. (1) Except as provided in sub. (2), circuit judges shall be elected by qualified electors of that circuit on an at-large basis. A circuit judge shall reside within the circuit in which he or she is elected.

AB341,4,2 (2) The circuit judges for each of the 50 branches in the 1st judicial administrative district shall be elected in judicial subdistricts, numbered 1 to 25. The boundaries of each judicial subdistrict shall be the same as the boundaries established for the Milwaukee County board of supervisors. Each judicial subdistrict shall take the same number as the corresponding county supervisory district which bounds it. Each of the 25 judicial subdistricts shall elect 2 circuit judges, one for each of 2 branches. The 2 circuit judges to be elected from each judicial subdistrict shall be for those branches consecutively numbered in ascending numerical order conforming to the ascending numerical order of the judicial subdistricts. The person elected as circuit judge for a judicial subdistrict under this subsection shall reside in the judicial subdistrict in which he or she is elected. Within one year after the number of branches in the 1st judicial administrative district changes or after the number of Milwaukee County supervisory districts changes, the Milwaukee County board of supervisors shall create judicial subdistricts in a number not less than 25 that results in an equal number of circuit branches within each judicial subdistrict. The judicial subdistricts shall be substantially equal in population. The Milwaukee County board of supervisor shall assign each branch of the circuit court to a judicial subdistrict created under this subsection.

AB341, s. 4 Section 4. 753.06 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB341,4,6 753.06 (1) (a) Milwaukee county. The circuit has 45 branches. Commencing August 1, 1994, the circuit has 46 branches. Commencing August 1, 1996, the circuit has 50 branches.

AB341, s. 5 Section 5. Nonstatutory provisions; circuit courts.

AB341,4,11 (1)  Circuit court branches, 1996. The initial election for circuit judge for branches 47, 48, 49 and 50 of the circuit court for Milwaukee County shall be at the spring election of 1996 for terms commencing August 1, 1996, and ending July 31, 2002.

AB341,4,15 (2)  Circuit judge positions. The authorized FTE positions for the circuit courts are increased by 4.0 GPR circuit judge positions on August 1, 1996, to be funded from the appropriation under section 20.625 (1) (a) of the statutes, to provide additional circuit court judges for the circuit court branches created by this act.

AB341,4,19 (3)  Court reporter positions. The authorized FTE positions for the circuit courts are increased by 4.0 GPR court reporter positions on August 1, 1996, to be funded from the appropriation under section 20.625 (1) (a) of the statutes, to provide one additional court reporter for each of the circuit court branches created in this act.

AB341,4,20 (End)