Wisconsin Supreme Court Accepts Six New Cases, Including Issue of Inherent Authority of Wisconsin Appellate Courts to Grant a New Trial in the Interests of Justice
On March 2, the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted six new cases for review, five criminal cases and one civil case.
The first case, State v. Henley, 2008AP697, presents an interesting issue regarding the authority of the courts of appeal, or the supreme court, to grant a new trial to a criminal defendant in the interests of justice, without regard to the passing of the time for appeal. As Judges Vergeront, Lundsten, and Bridge explained in their certification of the questions in the case,