I previously mentioned the December 15 meeting of the Wisconsin Assembly’s Committee on Judiciary and Ethics and its consideration of a plan to change the way the state’s chief justice is selected. Several other court-related bills are on the agenda that are of particular note.

Two bills focus on changes to the state’s municipal courts. In 2010, the courts were restructured and their manner of operation much tightly controlled under SB 383 of that year (for example, judges must wear black robes during proceedings and store all records in the office of the court clerk or in another appropriate facility designated by the municipal governing body). An amendment offered at the time (Assembly Amendment 2) would have required all municipal court judges elected or appointed after a certain date be attorneys. The amendment was introduced but never voted on in committee.

AB 101 of 2011, introduced by the same member of the Assembly who introduced Assembly Amendment 2 to SB 383 of 2010, replicates the amendment’s language and specifies January 1, 2011 as the date beyond with municipal court judges elected or appointed must be attorneys.

AB 285 increases maximum court fees assessed for ordinance violations in municipal courts from $28 to $38.

Other items on the December 15 agenda:

• AB 168: resolution of claims against the state for wrongful imprisonment of innocent persons and exempting from taxation certain amounts an individual receives from the claims board or legislature
• AB 249: privileged communications to a school guidance counselor, school teacher, or teacher’s aide
• AB 284: eliminating the right to refuse probation
• AB 391: creating the Uniform Foreign Country Money Judgments Recognition Act
• SB 127: aggravating factors for a court to consider when sentencing persons