THANK YOU HALES CORNERS!!  April 4, 2023

Thank you Hales Corners for re-electing me! I am very humbled by the trust and confidence that you have placed in me. I am proud to continue to serve this wonderful community as its Municipal Judge.

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Positive Feedback  April 1, 2023

In the course of my door-to-door campaign, I’ve met people who have told me they’ve been before me in the Hales Corners Municipal Court, either due to their own citations or with their teen children. It has been a profound experience for me to hear that their encounters with the court were positive. They felt listened to, respected, and treated fairly. I am really grateful to get this positive feedback.

 

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Understanding Complex Laws  March 29, 2023

Municipal court has jurisdiction over first offense Operating While Under the Influence of an Intoxicant or Other Drug (OWI), Prohibited Alcohol Concentration (PAC), and Operating with a Detectable Amount of Restricted Controlled Substance (OCS). I keep up with the changes in the applicable statues and case law. This large body of law encompasses refusals to take the test for alcohol blood concentration and refusal hearings, defenses that are based on the Fourth Amendment (the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures), the qualifying of a subject matter expert as a trial witness for one of the parties, the laws related to the penalties for these offenses, and the things that a court shall do and may not do regarding ordering of ignition interlock devices, among other things. I am very knowledgeable about all of these laws and I apply them on a regular basis in court.

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Reinstate Your Drivers License  March 25, 2023

When people come to court with a suspended driver’s license due to unpaid forfeitures, regardless of whether it is a Hales Corners ticket that has suspended their DL, I always let them know that, after they pay off the forfeiture, they must pay a reinstatement fee to DOT or their license will remain suspended. Paying off the citations does not automatically reinstate a DL as so many people assume. I want everyone to understand this so they: (1) only drive with a valid license, and (2) don’t end up with another citation for driving with a suspended DL due to not understanding that they need to take some action to reinstate.

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Informing People of Full Consequences  March 21, 2023

Wisconsin passed a law in 2017 requiring drivers found guilty of various Failure to Yield offenses to take a driving course. The course is not ordered or monitored by the court but by the Wisconsin DOT. The DOT will inform the driver of the class requirement by letter after conviction. I make a point of explaining this additional penalty to people prior to taking their plea because most drivers are unaware of this law. Failure to take the course can result in a five-year suspension of a driver’s license. This is a significant penalty and I believe it is important for people to be informed upfront so they are aware of the full consequences for these violations. One of the slides that we run in court also includes information about this.

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Come As You Are  March 18, 2023

The Hales Corners Municipal Court does not have a dress code. People may wear their work uniforms, scrubs, shorts, and jeans. Wearing work attire is always appropriate for court, no matter what someone’s job is. Come as you are. No one has to dress up to be heard in court.

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We Can Provide a Written Work Excuse   March 13, 2023

Sometimes people come to court on their way to work and may end up being late to their jobs. Or they may have had to leave work early to attend court. We will generate a work excuse on the spot, signed by me on court stationary, that a person may give their employer to prove that they were in court on a stated date and time. I want to make it easy for people to attend their court session so they don’t have to choose between coming to court or going to their jobs.

 

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Children Welcome in Court   March 9, 2023

The Hales Corners Municipal Court welcomes children of any age. When people call to tell the Municipal Court Clerk that they can’t come to court because they don't have childcare, she tells them to bring the children and come. We don’t want anyone to let lack of childcare keep them from attending their court appointment. We can call people with babies and toddlers out of order so they can get in and out. We want court to be as accessible, accommodating, and convenient as possible for everyone. Additionally, it is a wonderful opportunity for an elementary student or teen to see our judicial system in action. Never hesitate to bring your children.

 

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Walk-ins Welcome!  February 27, 2023

The Hales Corners Municipal Court takes walk-ins! Some municipal courts do not hear people who walk-in if they are not scheduled for that court session. Yes, we hear them! They may have to wait a bit while we gather all their info and we do take our scheduled people first, but unscheduled people may still come in. Unscheduled people come in for various reasons, including those who make a mistake about their court date and think it was that day, they are scheduled for another date but can’t make it then and wanted to try attending early, and other reasons. I want to make the court as accessible as possible. When we are in court on a court night we will hear all the court business that is there and never send anyone away.

 

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Our Municipal Court Clerk  February 22, 2023

While the Hales Corners Municipal Judge is a part-time position, our municipal court is open and operational on a full-time basis, five days per week. The court has a full-time Municipal Court Clerk who is very busy and extremely skilled at her job. The two of us are in frequent communication, even when I am not in the court, to discuss cases and questions. We have a wonderful working relationship and make a great team. I have been told numerous times by people in court about how helpful the Clerk has been to them. Some of the individuals who come to court have many questions and unusual situations and call her for guidance ahead of their court date.

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She must also, on occasion, deal with people who are unhappy about their citations and take their frustration out on her. She handles this all with professionalism. We have people calling or coming to the court window in the lobby of the Hales Corners Village Hall who mistakenly think their citation is from Hales Corners. Our Clerk will find out where that person really needs to be and give them the correct information. Often it’s Franklin, Greendale, or even downtown in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

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It is essential, for the efficient and proper operation of a municipal court, that the Judge and Court Clerk work well together.

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Here is what our Hales Corners Municipal Court Clerk does on a daily basis:

• Assists the public with inquiries regarding court procedures.

• Obtains and processes citations.

• Prepares the court docket.

• Organizes and attends court sessions which includes supervising sign-ins, distributing appropriate paperwork and record keeping of pleas and disposition information.

• Processes not guilty pleas, requests for adjournments, jury demands, requests for substitution of judge and appeals.

• Schedules Indigency Hearings, Pretrial Conferences, Motion Hearings, Refusal Hearings, Restitution Hearings, Trials and other proceedings as directed by the Municipal Judge.

• Records trials and pertinent motion hearings and preserves these recordings per statutory requirements.

• Reports the dispositions of traffic cases, underage alcohol, ID violations, and juvenile drug paraphernalia to the Department of Transportation within five working days.

• Issues summons or warrants as directed by the Municipal Judge.

• Sends notices to defendants regarding appearances and outstanding forfeitures.

• Manages the collection and distribution of forfeitures, court costs, surcharges, fees and restitution.

• Implements collection action for unpaid forfeitures by suspending the defendant’s driving privilege, requiring community service, Tax Refund Intercept or State Debt Collection as directed by the Municipal Judge.

• Compiles and distributes monthly reports required by the municipality, county and State of Wisconsin.

• Maintains forms utilized by the court to ensure the most current information is being provided to the public.

• Responds to open records requests.

• Acts as court liaison to the Municipal Prosecutor and Police Department.

• Manages confidential records regarding juveniles.

• Orders supplies needed for the daily operations of the court office.

• Maintains court software and office equipment.

• Assists the Municipal Judge with administrative matters as requested.

• Attends the annual municipal court clerk’s training seminar, developed by the judicial education office.

 

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Responsible Budgets  February 18, 2023

The Hales Corners Municipal Court has its own budget, prepared by me. I am as economical as I can be when preparing the budget while including what is necessary to properly operate the court. Every dollar that is spent is done mindful that they are public funds. We who work in the court are conscientious with our budgeted dollars and we stay within budget.

 

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The Types of Cases I Hear  February 14, 2023

I’ve been asked what kind of cases are heard in municipal court. Municipal court is a civil forfeiture court. We do not handle criminal cases and I cannot sentence anyone to prison.

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Here is a non-exhaustive list of the types of cases I hear: cases involving traffic law (a huge body of law including some of the following violations: right of way, speeding, failure to obey signage, improper turns, violations involving probationary and commercial driver licenses, suspended/revoked licenses, and much more); first offense operating while intoxicated/prohibited blood alcohol concentration and some other alcohol violations (open intoxicant, selling alcohol to minors, and others); refusal hearings (whether a person improperly refused an evidentiary test of their blood alcohol concentration); drug and tobacco violations; disorderly conduct; theft; possession of weapons; resisting or obstructing officers; cases involving juveniles (failure of parents to send to school, underage drinking, vandalism, among others), noise violations; harassment; and municipal ordinance property violations.

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I rule on motions based on the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure); these are normally associated with an OWI case. I conduct hearings to determine whether someone is indigent pursuant to law.

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Serving as a Municipal Judge requires being well-versed in a very large body of law. I continue to educate myself and stay updated as changes to the Wisconsin Statutes, Hales Corners Municipal Ordinances, and case law occur.

 

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Municipal Court Makes an Impression  February 10, 2023

Municipal courts have an important place in Wisconsin's judicial system as the courts closest to the people. More people will experience municipal court than a circuit court, court of appeals, or the Wisconsin Supreme Court. After all, more of us will get a traffic ticket than have any involvement in a criminal case or lawsuit. Because of this, many people will base their impressions of our judicial system on their experience in municipal court.

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Many years ago, I witnessed a municipal judge yelling at each person who appeared before him, chastising them about their violations. And in front of all the other people in the courtroom waiting for their turn. A person will remember how they and their case were treated. While not everyone who appears before me in court will leave happy with the outcome, they will leave knowing they were able to tell me what they thought was important for me to know, that they were listened to, and were treated respectfully by me and by our court personnel. We can achieve accountability, impose consequences, and still be kind.

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Municipal Judges Educate  February 5 2023

Every case is an opportunity to educate. Municipal court is a system of community-based justice and I have the unique ability to be able to spend the time it takes to explain the ordinance or statute that is the basis of the violation, so that individuals can comply with the law in the future. As an example, Wisconsin’s “Move Over Law” has had some people confused, as they think they have a CHOICE to either move over OR slow down.

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In case anyone is wondering, when you are on a roadway with more than one lane going in the same direction, and there is a law enforcement, emergency, or maintenance vehicle on the side of the road with its warning/flashing lamps operating, you are required to move over into a lane to your left if it is safe to do so and stay there until you have passed the stopped vehicle. If you cannot move over due to heavy traffic or because there is only one lane going in your direction, then you are required to slow down until you have passed the stopped vehicle.

 

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Process Improvement  February 2, 2023

It is an ongoing goal of mine to improve the court and our processes whenever and however we can (and with consideration to our budget). As an example, we have implemented new check-in and court processes over the years if we think trying something new will be more efficient and result in people having shorter wait times to see either me or the Village Prosecutor. We have also implemented solutions to make it as easy as possible for people to pay their citations. When we provided a QR code, we had people using it the very first day. I want to make it easy for people to deal with the court and to comply with requirements.

 

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Making Court Easier  January 29, 2023

As I mentioned in an earlier post, most people who appear in municipal court represent themselves. During the time I have been serving as the Hales Corners Municipal Judge, we have created educational materials that people receive with their citations that explain what happens next. We have included instructions about how to enter a plea, what time in-court activities start on court night, where to go for court, how to check in at court, how to pay the citation if they are not contesting it, where to call and who to talk to if they need to ask questions, and much more. We have plans to create some additional materials to make it easier for people to represent themselves.

 

 

Building Trust  January 27, 2023

A court gets its legitimacy from the trust and confidence that the public has in it. I have worked hard since 2011 to keep the Hales Corners Municipal Court one that inspires public trust. The Wisconsin Statutes requires municipal courts to make an audio recording of trials and certain hearings where a party is put under oath. One of the changes I’ve made since becoming the Hales Corners Municipal Judge is to start the practice of recording EVERYTHING that occurs in court, whether it’s required by law or not.

 

Some years ago, I was practicing before a municipal court in the Metro Milwaukee area. My firm requested, in advance, that the court make a recording of a hearing on our case. The judge refused, stating that it was not a type of hearing required by law to be recorded. We brought along a private court reporter, at our expense, to make a record of the hearing. The judge threatened to find the court reporter in contempt of court and have her arrested if she so much as placed her hands on her keyboard. That judge is no longer on the bench but the incident made an impression on me about courts and transparency.

 

 

Listening is Important   January 25, 2023

As the Hales Corners Municipal Judge since 2011, I have presided over 385 trials and a countless number of hearings. Every court session is different. In my nearly 12 years on the bench (and 19 years of litigation experience representing both individuals and organizations) I have dealt with people that come from many and varied life situations. Most people who appear in my court represent themselves and are not attorneys. I treat everyone who comes into my court as an individual and spend the time that we need to make sure they understand the charges, and the options and rights that they have going forward, including the right to hire an attorney to represent them. I listen to what they feel I should know about the incident. I also explain how to pay their citation if they are not contesting it. I cannot give anyone legal advice, but I do not want anyone to be confused by anything that happens in court or by the process.

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Keeping Justice Moving During COVID-19  January 23, 2023

The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 affected nearly everything in our lives. It affected the courts too. When the Wisconsin Supreme Court shut down all in-court activities across the state, Hales Corners continued to have a full-time, operational court. We immediately developed a way for people to enter their pleas by mail or email and conducted all pretrial conferences by telephone. We were able to adjudicate many cases this way. In June 2020, the WI Supreme Court permitted us to develop a written operations plan to resume in-court activities. The plan had to be approved by the Hales Corners Health Officer and by the Chief Judge of Milwaukee County (who oversees the municipal courts in Milwaukee County). We obtained the necessary approvals immediately and resumed in-court activities, per our plan to protect public health, in June 2020. Thus, we were able to avoid a back-up of cases.

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Successful Collections  January 22, 2023

I implemented a new collections process in December 2017 to increase success in collecting outstanding forfeitures. That process alone has collected $480,000+ from December 2017 - December 2022. This does not include amounts separately collected by the Tax Refund Intercept Program or from individuals who voluntary pay their forfeitures. The court has collected forfeitures totaling more than $800,000 in the last five years.