Court of Appeals judge resigns from post on council

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A Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge has resigned from his post on the Judicial Council.

The council is a 21-member independent body made up of lawmakers, lawyers, judges and other stakeholders in the state legal system. It advises the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Legislature on changes to the court system’s procedures and operations.

Gov. Scott Walker has twice proposed eliminating the council. Although Walker kept lawmakers’ recommendation that the Judicial Council remain in the statutes, he struck language in the state’s 2017-2019 budget that would let the Supreme Court create and pay for a similar body after the court notified the state Department of Administration that it would not be paying for the council’s operations. The court made the decision after the council approved giving its staff attorney her first raise in years.

Since then, the council has been searching for an alternative source of money as well as an office, storage space and someone to take on various tasks previously performed by the council’s staff attorney.

Judge Brian Blanchard, the council’s vice chair, resigned on Friday at the council’s meeting. He said Monday that he had been planning for a long time to retire in March but decided to act faster as a result of the troubles prompted by the court’s pulling the council’s budget.

Blanchard’s resignation followed a statement he made at a meeting the council had on Dec. 15. Blanchard had then proposed that his fellow members vote to either resign en masse or indefinitely suspend the council’s operations, arguing that the council could no longer function properly without a budget.

Blanchard is the Court of Appeals’ designee to the council. Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer will decide whether to appoint a replacement. Blanchard was also the chairman of the council’s criminal-procedure committee and a member of the state’s executive committee. The council will have to elect someone to replace him on both committees.

The council is continuing its search for money and resources and will vote on Friday to authorize member Judge Robert VanDeHey to approach the Judicial Commission about lending resources to the council.  It also voted for members to approach the deans of Marquette University Law School and the University of Wisconsin Law School about supplying the council with research assistants. Follow @erikastrebel