High court issues order for changes to appellate briefing rules

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently issued the final language for changes to the state’s rules of appellate procedure involving briefing rules for multi-party briefs and briefs filed by guardians ad litem.

The changes are meant to clear up parts of Wis. Stat. 809.19, which allows co-appellants to file either separate or joint briefs. The proposal, among other things, sets clear deadlines for filing of briefs and clarifies that a lawyer representing more than one party may file a single brief.

The same proposal includes changes to the appellate-briefing rules found in Wis. Stat. 809.17(6). Those rules apply to guardians ad litem in cases concerning the termination of parental rights.

The Judicial Council,  a 21-member body charged with offering up changes or revisions to the state’s rules of procedure, filed the petition in May. The justices had voted last term to send the matter to a public hearing on Nov. 6.

Clerk of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Diane Fremgen and Court of Appeals Chief Staff Attorney Jennifer Anderson testified in support of the proposal. Anderson represented the council. Both were part of a committee that had helped the council draft the proposal.

After Fremgen and Anderson gave their testimony,  the court unanimously approved the petition in closed session. The justices on Thursday released an order detailing the final language of the changes, which will take effect July 1, 2018.