High court grants Door County judge’s rule-change request

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A Door County judge has won the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s consent to a request for a rule change concerning the appointment of a vice chairman to the Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee.

Door County Circuit Court Judge Todd Ehlers petitioned the court in March to change Chapter 60 of the Supreme Court Rules so that the justices could appoint a vice chair for the Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee should the chairperson of the committee not be able perform his role for more than five business days.

The Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee is appointed by the Supreme Court and was established to issue formal advisory opinions and give judges and judicial officers informal advice about how to follow the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct. The committee has nine members, which include six judges, one court commissioner, one attorney and one non-lawyer.

The court voted in April to take up the petition and to solicit public comments before deciding to schedule a public hearing. The court received no public comments and voted on June 15 in closed conference to grant Ehlers’ request. The court concluded that no public hearing was necessary. Follow @erikastrebel