Wisconsin

Posner opinion upholds lifetime GPS bracelet for sex offender who isn’t ‘just a harmless old guy’

A federal appeals court has upheld a Wisconsin law requiring convicted sex offenders to wear a GPS ankle bracelet for the rest of their lives after their release from civil commitment. The Jan. 29 opinion (PDF) by a three-judge panel of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was…

Feb 3, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Would-be lawyer won’t have $260K in student loans erased; SCOTUS refuses to hear appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear an appeal by a would-be lawyer who has been seeking to discharge more than $260,000 in business and law school debt in bankruptcy. Mark Tetzlaff, 57, graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law, but has repeatedly failed the bar exam. He said…

Jan 11, 2016 3:05 PM CST

‘Making a Murderer’ defense lawyers hope hit Netflix series will lead to new evidence in murder case

In November, Wisconsin criminal defense lawyer Jerome Buting had eight Twitter followers. As of January, that number has risen to 25,000—likely because of the recently released Netflix series Making a Murderer, which is based on one of the Brookfield lawyer’s cases. Dean Strang, another defense lawyer involved in Steven Avery’s…

Jan 7, 2016 4:20 PM CST

7th Circuit overturns abortion regulation; Posner says health benefit is ‘nonexistent’

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down a Wisconsin abortion law that required abortion doctors to have admission privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. Writing for the majority in the 2-1 opinion (PDF), Judge Richard Posner said the law would shut down one of the…

Nov 24, 2015 7:30 AM CST

Lawyer is ordered to tell future clients he is a crook, cheat, thief and liar

A Wisconsin judge who sentenced a lawyer to five days in jail on Thursday thought it appropriate to continue the punishment with a condition he deemed a “moving jail.” Judge Philip Kirk of Waupaca County told Appleton lawyer Michael Petersen that during his 12 months of probation he will have…

Nov 23, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Bomb threat closes Wisconsin courthouse for much of day

A Wisconsin courthouse was closed for much of the day Monday as authorities investigated a bomb threat. It apparently was a hoax, and no one was injured. The Racine County Courthouse reopened at about 1 p.m., WITI reports. However, authorities are circulating a photo of a hooded suspect making a…

Oct 26, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Wounded cops awarded more than $5M in suit against gun shop

Two Milwaukee police officers were awarded more than $5 million on Tuesday in their civil suit against a gun store accused of ignoring red flags when it sold a weapon used to shoot and wound them in 2009. Milwaukee County jurors deliberated nine hours before awarding about $3.5 million to…

Oct 14, 2015 8:16 AM CDT

Indicted estate planning lawyer to take plea; victims say she stole millions

There was a free lunch for many estate-planning clients of Wisconsin attorney Sarah Laux, who talked about trusts at seminars at which food was provided. But she wound up owing $626,000 to eight of her clients, as she admitted in a petition seeking to give up her law license, the…

Sep 29, 2015 1:35 PM CDT

Was lawyer’s courtroom selfie photo a breach of decorum?

A Wisconsin lawyer who snapped a selfie of himself and a client after winning a murder acquittal didn’t get a “like” from the judge after he posted the picture on Facebook. The lawyer, Anthony Cotton of Waukesha, took the photo on Sept. 18 after court had adjourned, while courtroom staffers…

Sep 29, 2015 9:07 AM CDT

Lawyer is charged with contempt after allegedly lying to client to persuade him to take a plea deal

A Wisconsin defense lawyer accused of lying to a client to persuade him to accept a plea deal is now facing a misdemeanor contempt case. Attorney Michael Petersen, 32, allegedly told the unidentified client and his father last year that the client should plead guilty to attempted armed robbery, because…

Sep 4, 2015 12:40 PM CDT

Lawyer arrested in alleged assault of golf club employee; club didn’t call cops, offered her $500

A 59-year-old Wisconsin lawyer was arrested Monday in the claimed sexual groping of an employee at a golf club. However, Christopher Hale has not been charged in the Aug. 16 incident at the River Club of Mequon, and his attorney points out that the standard for an arrest is lower…

Sep 3, 2015 1:45 PM CDT

Milwaukee firm adds Chicago litigation boutique, anticipates more growth

A Milwaukee-based law firm has upped the ante in Chicago, adding to its existing small office there a local litigation boutique. The melding of Chicago’s Varga Berger Ledsky Hayes & Casey with Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek puts nearly 150 attorneys on the combined firm’s roster, according to Whyte Hirschboeck’s website. “WHD…

Sep 1, 2015 3:40 PM CDT

Murder rate is way up in dozens of US cities, but why?

The murder rate is way up, so far this year, in dozens of U.S. cities, and federal and local law enforcement officials aren’t sure why or what to do about it. Some blame the so-called Ferguson effect, a theory that the rioting and racial tension that followed the slaying of…

Sep 1, 2015 2:35 PM CDT

Why girls charged in Slender Man stabbing at age 12 will be tried as adults

Two girls accused of stabbing a friend at age 12 to please the fictional Slender Man character will be tried as adults after a judge upheld a Wisconsin law governing the issue. Judge Michael Bohren of Waukesha County ruled on Monday that the adult court would protect the public longer…

Aug 11, 2015 7:16 AM CDT

Wisconsin governor signs 20-week abortion ban

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican presidential hopeful, signed a bill Monday making it a felony to perform abortions after 20 weeks from fertilization unless a woman’s life is in immediate danger. Doctors who violate the law could be sentenced to 3½ years in prison and fined up to $10,000,…

Jul 20, 2015 3:20 PM CDT