{"id":6719,"date":"2009-08-21T10:57:22","date_gmt":"2009-08-21T15:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=6719"},"modified":"2009-08-21T10:57:22","modified_gmt":"2009-08-21T15:57:22","slug":"appellate-judicial-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2009\/08\/appellate-judicial-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Appellate Judicial Efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WisconsinSupremeCourtSeal\"The timing of released Wisconsin Supreme Court opinions is a popular topic this time of year among many members of the legal community.\u00a0 The Wisconsin Supreme Court begins hearing cases in September every year and generally hears between\u00a0six and\u00a0ten cases each month through April.\u00a0 In May, oral argument dates are set but not always used.\u00a0 No oral arguments are held in June, and the term officially ends at the end of June.\u00a0 This year, the court decided 57 cases.\u00a0 Of those decisions, 23 cases (40 percent) were released after the term ended, i.e., on or after July 1.\u00a0 In May and June, a total of 18 cases (32 percent) were released.\u00a0 Does it really matter that over 70 percent\u00a0of the court’s cases were released either after the term ended or in the last two months of the term?\u00a0 I m not sure what the answer is to that question, but I do believe the Wisconsin Supreme Court should take measures to improve its appellate judicial efficiency.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

What I mean by appellate judicial efficiency is a timely disposal of cases, which would result in a steady flow of decisions released throughout the year rather than at the very end of or after the term.\u00a0 Lower courts in Wisconsin are seemingly more efficient.\u00a0 Pursuant to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals’ internal operating procedures, “the average time for rendering a decision should not exceed 40 days, and the maximum time for any case, except one of extraordinary complexity, should not exceed 70 days.”\u00a0 Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 70.36, trial courts must decide “each matter submitted for decision within 90 days of the date on which the matter is submitted to the judge in final form,” but this may be extended by 90 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The timely disposal of cases \u2014 at all levels of the Wisconsin Judicial system \u2014 will result in an efficient judiciary, and it will benefit practicing lawyers, judges, and certainly the parties involved in the case.\u00a0 Both judges and lawyers, who are required to take continuing education classes, will benefit from a steady flow of cases.\u00a0 If most cases are released in a three-month period, it is difficult to study all cases in detail.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Those who teach these continuing education classes will likely also benefit from a steady flow rather than a gush of cases that need to be digested quickly and then taught.\u00a0 The actual parties will also benefit from a timely disposal of cases.\u00a0 At times, we may forget that actual people have a great amount invested in each one of these cases.\u00a0 It is unfair to force these people to put their lives unnecessarily on hold while they await a decision.\u00a0 It is especially troubling that an innocent person could sit in prison while he or she waits for a wrongful conviction to be overturned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In conclusion, appellate courts, including those of last resort, should attempt to become more judicially efficient.\u00a0 While some delay is inevitable, avoidable delay should be eliminated.\u00a0 The Wisconsin Supreme Court should work towards releasing a steady flow of cases throughout the term.\u00a0 The United States Supreme Court, by comparison, has already achieved this gold standard.\u00a0 Of the 74 cases the United States Supreme Court heard this past term, 21 cases were released in the month of June, 9 cases were released in May, 13 cases were released in April, 11 cases were released in March, 5 cases were released in February, 13 cases were released in January, and 2 cases were released in December.\u00a0 As a result, while the Wisconsin Supreme Court released over 70 percent\u00a0of its opinions in May, June, and July, the United States Supreme Court released only 40 percent\u00a0during that same period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The timing of released Wisconsin Supreme Court opinions is a popular topic this time of year among many members of the legal community.\u00a0 The Wisconsin Supreme Court begins hearing cases in September every year and generally hears between\u00a0six and\u00a0ten cases each month through April.\u00a0 In May, oral argument dates are set but not always used.\u00a0 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