Children's Court Improvement Program Director at Wisconsin Court of Appeals - Madison, WI, US
Following is a brief overview of the Wisconsin Court System.Municipal courts-237 municipal courts-240 municipal judges-Milwaukee has the largest municipal court and three full-time municipal judges. Madison has the only other full-time municipal court.Circuit courts-Single level trial court since 1978.-249 circuit judges in 72 counties. Judges elected countywide to six-year terms in non-partisan elections.-Milwaukee County is the largest jurisdiction with 47 judges.-30 counties have one judge each; smaller counties share a judge.Court of Appeals-Created in 1978 and originally designed to handle 1,200 cases per year.-Mostly mandatory jurisdiction, meaning that litigants have the right to appeal their cases from the circuit court to the Court of Appeals.-16 judges in four districts. Judges elected district wide to six-year terms.Supreme Court-Seven justices elected statewide to 10-year terms.-Court of last resort.-Court reviews approximately 1,000 petitions per year and accepts between 100 and 120.