Judicial Council to meet at old stomping grounds

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The Judicial Council will be heading back to the state Capitol for its December meeting, giving it a semblance of normality even after its budget was pulled earlier this year.

The 21-member independent body is charged with studying proposed changes to the state’s rules of procedures and providing related advice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Legislature. Its members include prosecutors, lawyers, judges and lawmakers.

Gov. Scott Walker has twice proposed eliminating the council. Although lawmakers in the state Legislature have yet to formally take such a step, they did elect to not set aside any money in the state budget this year to pay for the council’s staff or operations.

Although their decision did not kill off the council, it did leave several unanswered questions about the council’s future largely up to the state Supreme Court. Earlier this year, the high-court justices, responding to the council’s decision to give its staff attorney a significant raise, decided against footing the bill for the council’s operations.

As a result, the council held its November meeting in the War Room of the State Bar Center in Madison instead of the its usual meeting place in the state Capitol. It then voted to begin looking for a new home and meeting space for its committees.

The council authorized its executive committee to turn to the Wisconsin State Bar for help in its search for meeting space. The bar is also considering whether it might be able to provide support staff and the State Law Library is being consulted about a place to store the council’s archives.

A member of the council, Bill Gleisner, has meanwhile agreed to take over tasks that were usually performed by the former staff attorney, April Southwick.

Council Vice Chair and Court of Appeals Judge Brian Blanchard said Wednesday that the council now plans to meet on Dec. 15 in Room 328 NW in the state Capitol.

“At that time, I think we’ll be discussing aspects of how we manage going forward,” he said.

Blanchard said some council members will be getting together with representatives of the Wisconsin State Bar ahead of time to discuss any suggestions they might have.