Chapter 757

757.07(1)(g)1.f. f. A license plate number or other unique identifiers of a vehicle owned, leased, or regularly used by a judicial officer or an immediate family member of a judicial officer.

757.07(1)(g)1.g. g. The names of children under the age of 18 of a judicial officer or an immediate family member of a judicial officer.

757.07(1)(g)1.h. h. The full date of birth.

757.07(1)(g)1.i. i. Marital status.

757.07(1)(g)2m. 2m. “Personal information” does not include addresses without owner or occupant names associated with the address on public-facing land records websites for address verification, including for utilities and emergency services.

757.07(1)(h) (h) “Publicly available content” means any written, printed, or electronic document or record that provides information or that serves as a document or record maintained, controlled, or in the possession of a government agency that may be obtained by any person or entity, from the Internet, from the government agency upon request either free of charge or for a fee, or in response to a public records request under ch. 19.

757.07(1)(i) (i) “Publicly post or display” means to intentionally communicate or otherwise make available to the general public.

757.07(1)(im) (im) “Secondary residence” means a place that is not a person’s permanent residence, but where a person regularly lives for at least 14 days each year.

757.07(1)(j) (j) “Transfer” means to sell, license, trade, or exchange for consideration the personal information of a judicial officer or a judicial officer’s immediate family member.

757.07(1)(k) (k) “Written request” means written notice signed by a judicial officer or a representative of the judicial officer’s employer requesting a government agency, business, association, or other person to refrain from publicly posting or displaying publicly available content that includes the personal information of the judicial officer or judicial officer’s immediate family completed and filed pursuant to sub. (4).

757.07(2) (2) Publicly posting or displaying a judicial officer’s personal information by a government agency.

757.07(2)(a) (a) A government agency may not publicly post or display publicly available content that includes a judicial officer’s personal information, provided that the government agency has received a written request in accordance with sub. (4) that it refrain from disclosing the judicial officer’s personal information. After a government agency has received a written request, that agency shall remove the judicial officer’s personal information from publicly available content within 10 business days. After the government agency has removed the judicial officer’s personal information from publicly available content, the agency may not publicly post or display the information, and the judicial officer’s personal information shall be exempt from inspection and copying under s. 19.35 unless the government agency has received consent as provided under sub. (4) (e) to make the personal information available to the public.

757.07(2)(b) (b) Nothing in this subsection prohibits a government agency from providing access to records containing the personal information of a judicial officer to a 3rd party if the 3rd party meets any of the following criteria:

757.07(2)(b)1. 1. Possesses a signed consent document, as provided under sub. (4) (e).

757.07(2)(b)2. 2. Is subject to the requirements of 15 USC 6801, et seq.

757.07(2)(b)3. 3. Executes a confidentiality agreement with the government agency.

757.07(3) (3) Data brokers and other persons and businesses.

757.07(3)(a) (a) No data broker may knowingly sell, license, trade, purchase, or otherwise make available for consideration the personal information of a judicial officer or a judicial officer’s immediate family, provided that the judicial officer has made a written request to the data broker. The data broker shall cease knowingly selling, licensing, trading, purchasing, or otherwise making available personal information for consideration pursuant to the written request within 10 business days of the written request.

757.07(3)(b) (b)

757.07(3)(b)1. 1. No person, business, or association may publicly post or display on the Internet publicly available content that includes the personal information of a judicial officer or the judicial officer’s immediate family, provided that the judicial officer has made a written request to the person, business, or association that it refrain from disclosing or acquiring the personal information.

757.07(3)(b)2. 2. Subdivision 1. does not apply to any of the following:

757.07(3)(b)2.a. a. Personal information that the judicial officer or an immediate family member of the judicial officer voluntarily publishes on the Internet after April 1, 2025.

757.07(3)(b)2.b. b. Personal information lawfully received from a state or federal government source, including from an employee or agent of the state or federal government.

757.07(3)(c) (c)

757.07(3)(c)1. 1. After a person, business, or association has received a written request from a judicial officer to protect the privacy of the personal information of the judicial officer and the judicial officer’s immediate family, the person, business, or association shall remove, within 10 business days, the publicly posted or displayed personal information identified in the request; ensure that the information is not publicly posted or displayed on any website or subsidiary website controlled by that person, business, or association; and identify any other publicly posted or displayed instances of the identified information that should also be removed.

757.07(3)(c)2. 2. After receiving a judicial officer’s written request, no person, business, or association may transfer the judicial officer’s personal information to any other person, business, or association through any medium, except as follows:

757.07(3)(c)2.a. a. The person, business, or association may transfer personal information that the judicial officer or an immediate family member of the judicial officer voluntarily publishes on the Internet after April 1, 2025.

757.07(3)(c)2.b. b. The person, business, or association may transfer the judicial officer’s personal information at the request of the judicial officer if the transfer is necessary to effectuate a request to the person, business, or association from the judicial officer.

757.07(3)(c)2.c. c. The business may transfer personal information otherwise protected by a written request if the business falls within one of the exceptions set forth in sub. (1) (a) 1. to 12., the transfer is to a 3rd party based on a business need of the business, and the transferred information would not be publicly posted or displayed by either the business or the 3rd party.

757.07(4) (4) Procedure for completing a written request for protection of personal information.

757.07(4)(a) (a) No government agency, person, data broker, business, or association may be found to have violated any provision of this section if the judicial officer fails to submit a written request calling for the protection of the personal information of the judicial officer or the judicial officer’s immediate family.

757.07(4)(b) (b)

757.07(4)(b)1. 1. A written request under this subsection is valid if the request meets the requirements of par. (d) and if the judicial officer does any of the following:

757.07(4)(b)1.a. a. Sends the written request directly to the designated officer of a government agency or directly to a person, data broker, business, or association.

757.07(4)(b)1.b. b. If the director of state courts has a policy and procedure for a judicial officer to file the written request with the director of state court’s office to notify government agencies, the judicial officer sends the written request to the director of state courts.

757.07(4)(b)2. 2. In each quarter of a calendar year, the director of state courts shall provide to the designated officer for a government agency a list of all judicial officers who have submitted a written request under subd. 1. b. The designated officer shall promptly provide a copy of the list to the government agencies under his or her supervision. Receipt of the written request list compiled by the director of state courts office by the designated officer of a government agency shall constitute a written request to that agency for purposes of this subsection.

757.07(4)(c) (c) A representative from the judicial officer’s employer may submit a written request on the judicial officer’s behalf, provided that the judicial officer has given written consent to the representative and provided that the representative agrees to furnish a copy of that consent when the written request is made. The representative shall submit the written request as provided under par. (b).

757.07(4)(d) (d) A judicial officer’s written request shall be made on a form prescribed by the director of state courts, shall identify with reasonable specificity the personal information to be protected, and shall be notarized. If a judicial officer wishes to identify a secondary residence as a home address, the designation shall be made in the written request, but the judicial officer may identify no more than 2 secondary residences for protection under this section. A judicial officer’s written request shall disclose the identity of the officer’s immediate family and indicate that the personal information of these family members shall also be excluded to the extent that it could reasonably be expected to reveal personal information of the judicial officer.

757.07(4)(dm) (dm)

757.07(4)(dm)1. 1. Any person receiving a written request form submitted by or on behalf of a judicial officer under par. (d) shall treat the submission as confidential.

757.07(4)(dm)2. 2. The form prescribed by the director of state courts under par. (d), whether blank or completed, shall be kept confidential, but the fact that a written request exists or has been submitted or received is not confidential.

757.07(4)(e) (e)

757.07(4)(e)1. 1. A judicial officer’s written request is valid for 10 years or until the judicial officer’s death, whichever occurs first.

757.07(4)(e)2. 2. Notwithstanding a judicial officer’s written request, a government agency, person, data broker, business, or association may release personal information otherwise subject to the written request under any of the following circumstances:

757.07(4)(e)2.a. a. As required in response to a court order.

757.07(4)(e)2.b. b. If a judicial officer or immediate family member of the judicial officer consents to the release of his or her own personal information as provided under subd. 3.

757.07(4)(e)2.c. c. If the judicial officer provides the government agency, person, data broker, business, or association with consent to release the personal information as provided under subd. 3.

757.07(4)(e)2.d. d. If the personal information is contained in a record that a government agency provides to any other government agency, provided that the record may not be made publicly available. A government agency that provides a record to another government agency under this subd. 2. d. shall, notwithstanding par. (d), provide the receiving government agency all written requests applicable to such records and notice to the judicial officer of the transmission in the manner indicated on the judicial officer’s written request. Upon receipt of any such written request, the receiving government agency shall be considered to have received the written request pursuant to par. (b) 1. a.

757.07(4)(e)2.e. e. If the release is part of the publication of a notice, including a notice of an administrative hearing or appeal, that is required by law.

757.07(4)(e)2.f. f. If the release is to a title insurance company, as defined in s. 708.15 (1) (v), an authorized agent of a title insurance company, a professional land surveyor licensed in this state, or an attorney licensed to practice law in this state, provided that the record may not be made publicly available.

757.07(4)(e)2.g. g. If the release is to adjacent land owners seeking land records, provided that the record may not be made publicly available.

757.07(4)(e)2.h. h. If the release is a notice of sex offender registration or any associated notice relating to sex offender registration.

757.07(4)(e)3. 3. A judicial officer or immediate family member of the judicial officer may consent to release personal information otherwise protected by a judicial officer’s written request if the consent is made in writing on a form prescribed by the director of state courts and is notarized. An immediate family member of the judicial officer may only consent to the release of his or her own personal information. The form prescribed by the director of state courts under this subdivision, whether blank or completed, shall be kept confidential, but the fact that a consent to release exists or has been submitted or received is not confidential.

757.07(4)(e)4. 4. A judicial officer under sub. (1) (e) 1. to 3., or 6. may designate the director of state courts as the judicial officer’s agent for purposes of service of process, and if the director of state courts receives service of process, notice, or demand required or permitted by law to be served on a judicial officer who has designated the director of state courts as his or her agent for purposes of service of process under this subdivision, the director of state courts shall forward the process, notice, or demand to the judicial officer’s home address.

757.07(4)(e)5. 5. Notwithstanding subd. 1., a written request for protection of a judicial officer’s personal information relating to property expires, with respect to any information regarding the property, within 90 days of the property ceasing to be a permanent or secondary residence. A judicial officer shall provide written notice within 90 days of the property ceasing to be a permanent or secondary residence to the government agency that received the written request for protection of personal information relating to the property.

757.07(4)(e)6. 6. An entity that receives a written request under par. (d) or a consent under subd. 3. to release personal information otherwise protected by a judicial officer’s written request may maintain a list of judicial officers who submitted a written request or a consent to release and may share the list with any subunits within their organization.

757.07(4m) (4m) 

757.07(4m)(a) (a) In this subsection, “land records website” means a public website or a public land records database linked from such a website that allows users to search and retrieve a real estate property database or geographic records, but does not include the register of deeds index.

757.07(4m)(b) (b) Any provider of a public-facing land records website shall establish a process for judicial officers and immediate family members of judicial officers to opt out from the display and search functions of their names on the provider’s public-facing land records website. In order to opt out from the display and search functions of the judicial officer’s name or the names of the judicial officer’s immediate family members under this subsection, a judicial officer or a representative from the judicial officer’s employer on the judicial officer’s behalf shall submit a written request to the provider of the public-facing land records website. Only a judicial officer or a representative from the judicial officer’s employer on the judicial officer’s behalf may use the opt out process established under this paragraph to submit a written request to opt out of the display and search functions of the judicial officer’s name and the names of the judicial officer’s immediate family members. An immediate family member of a judicial officer may not submit a written request to opt out of the display and search functions of the family member’s name under this paragraph.

757.07(4m)(c) (c) A provider of a public-facing land records website that establishes an opt out process under par. (b) does not violate this section by continuing to display an address if a name is removed, provided that the link between the name and address is severed and precludes a search and retrieval that displays name.

757.07(5) (5) 

757.07(5)(a) (a) A judicial officer may bring an action seeking injunctive or declaratory relief in any court of competent jurisdiction against any business, association, data broker, or other person responsible for the violation of this section, except that if the violation alleged has been committed by a government agency, the judicial officer may bring an action only as set forth under par. (b).

757.07(5)(b) (b) Whenever a judicial officer believes that a government agency has violated the requirements under this section, the judicial officer may bring an action for a writ of mandamus.

757.07(5)(c) (c) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly publicly post or display on the Internet the personal information of a judicial officer or of the judicial officer’s immediate family if the person intends the public posting or display of the personal information to create or increase a threat to the health and safety of the judicial officer or the judicial officer’s immediate family and, under the circumstances, bodily injury or death of the judicial officer or a member of the judicial officer’s immediate family is a natural and probable consequence of the posting or display. A person who violates this paragraph is guilty of a Class G felony.

757.07(5)(cm) (cm) If a judicial officer prevails in an action under par. (a) or (b), the court shall, notwithstanding the limitations under s. 814.04, award costs and reasonable attorney fees to the judicial officer. For an action under par. (a), costs and reasonable attorney fees shall be paid by the business, association, data broker, or other person responsible for the violation. For an action under par. (b), costs and reasonable attorney fees shall be paid by the government agency responsible for the violation.

757.07(5)(d) (d) Any person who intentionally submits false information on a written request for protection form under sub. (4) (d) or on a form under sub. (4) (e) 3. for consent to release personal information otherwise protected by a judicial officer’s written request may be prosecuted for a violation of s. 946.32.

757.07(5m) (5m) The provisions of this section supersede any statutory requirement that a government agency publicly post or display publicly available content.

757.07(6) (6) This section shall be construed broadly to favor the protection of the personal information of judicial officers and the immediate family of judicial officers.

757.07 History History: 2023 a. 235; 2025 a. 25; s. 35.17 correction in (1) (g) 2m.

757.08 757.08 Vacancy in judgeship not to affect suits. No process, proceeding or action, civil or criminal, before any court of record shall be discontinued by the occurrence of any vacancy in the office of any judge or of all the judges of such court, nor by the election of any new judge or judges of any such court, but the persons so elected shall have power to continue, hear and determine such process, proceedings or action as their predecessors might have done if no new election had been held.

757.08 History History: 1977 c. 187 s. 96; Stats. 1977 s. 757.08.

757.10 757.10 Failure to adjourn. No omission to adjourn any such court may vitiate any proceedings in the court.

757.10 History History: 1977 c. 187 s. 96; 1977 c. 449; Stats. 1977 s. 757.10.

757.12 757.12 Adjournment to another location. Whenever it is deemed unsafe or inexpedient, by reason of war, pestilence, public calamity, or other compelling factors limiting or preventing access to the courthouse, the justices or judges of the court may order court to be held at an alternative location in this state, including in another county, on a temporary basis. Every such order shall be made in writing. Notice of such orders shall be provided by e-mail to the chief justice, the chief judge of the judicial district, the director of state courts, the State Bar of Wisconsin, and the local bar association. Any such orders shall be placed on the Wisconsin state courts website, the county website, and the door of the courthouse, if practicable. All court proceedings moved to another location shall have the same force and effect as if held at the original location. Bench warrants shall not be issued for failure to appear without a finding that the party received notice of the date, time, and location of the proceeding.

757.12 History History: 1977 c. 187 s. 96; 1977 c. 449; Stats. 1977 s. 757.12; Sup. Ct. Order No. 21-03, 2022 WI 23, 401 Wis. 2d xv; s. 35.17 correction.

757.13 757.13 Continuances; legislative privilege. When a witness, party or an attorney for any party to any action or proceeding in any court or any commission, is a member of the Wisconsin legislature, in session, that fact is sufficient cause for the adjournment or continuance of the action or proceeding, and the adjournment or continuance shall be granted without the imposition of terms.

757.13 History History: 1977 c. 187 s. 96; Stats. 1977 s. 757.13; 1979 c. 34.

757.13 Annotation This section would violate the doctrine of separation of powers if construed to mandate the grant of a continuance or adjournment. Courts should consider, in the sound exercise of their discretion, that a witness, party, or party’s attorney is a member of the legislature in session when that person seeks a continuance or adjournment for that reason and should accommodate the schedule of the legislature consistent with the demands of fairness and efficiency in the particular case. State v. Chvala, 2003 WI App 257, 268 Wis. 2d 451, 673 N.W.2d 401, 03-0746.

757.14 757.14 Sittings, public. The sittings of every court shall be public and every citizen may freely attend the same, including proceedings held by telephone or videoconferencing technology, except if otherwise expressly provided by law. If the content of the proceeding is deemed graphic or obscene, the judge or justice may exclude from the courtroom all minors not present as parties or witnesses. The court may utilize electronic means to allow the public the ability to hear and see, in real time, all proceedings in a manner as similar as practicable to being present in the courtroom.

757.14 History History: 1977 c. 187 s. 96; Stats. 1977 s. 757.14; Sup. Ct. Order No. 21-03, 2022 WI 23, 401 Wis. 2d xv.

757.14 Annotation Any citizen has the right to attend immunity hearings arising out of a John Doe proceeding. State ex rel. Newspapers, Inc. v. Circuit Court, 65 Wis. 2d 66, 221 N.W.2d 894 (1974).

757.14 Annotation It was an abuse of discretion to exclude the public from the voir dire of potential jurors. State ex rel. La Crosse Tribune v. Circuit Court, 115 Wis. 2d 220, 340 N.W.2d 460 (1983).

757.14 Annotation Commitment hearings under s. 51.20 (12) are open unless the court grants the subject individual’s motion for closure. State ex rel. Wisconsin State Journal v. Circuit Court, 131 Wis. 2d 515, 389 N.W.2d 73 (Ct. App. 1986).

757.14 Annotation The 6th amendment right to a public trial extends to voir dire. A judge’s decision to close or limit public access to a courtroom in a criminal case requires the court to go through an analysis on the record in which the court considers overriding interests and reasonable alternatives. The court must make specific findings on the record to support the exclusion of the public and must narrowly tailor the closure. State v. Pinno, 2014 WI 74, 356 Wis. 2d 106, 850 N.W.2d 207, 11-2424.

757.14 Annotation Public access to criminal trials in particular is protected by the 1st amendment. Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. 596, 102 S. Ct. 2613, 73 L. Ed. 2d 248 (1982).

757.15 757.15 Holding court, effect of holidays. A court may be open to transact business on the first day of the week and on a legal holiday in like manner and with like effect as upon any other day.

757.15 History History: 1975 c. 159; 1977 c. 54; 1977 c. 187 s. 96; 1977 c. 449; Stats. 1977 s. 757.15; 1989 a. 261.

757.18 757.18 Process, etc., to be in English. All writs, process, proceedings and records in any court within this state shall be in the English language, except that the proper and known names of process and technical words may be expressed in the language heretofore and now commonly used, and shall be made out on paper or parchment in a fair, legible character, in words at length and not abbreviated; but such abbreviations as are now commonly used in the English language may be used and numbers may be expressed by Arabic figures or Roman numerals in the usual manner.

757.18 History History: 1977 c. 187 s. 96; Stats. 1977 s. 757.18.