Bayfield County Circuit Court Judge John. P. Anderson has been appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to serve as chief judge of the 10th Judicial District.
Anderson will assume the new role on Aug. 1, when Barron County Judge Maureen Boyle’s six-year term comes to and end. Anderson has served as deputy chief judge since 2018, according to a news release. Anderson will continue his duties as Bayfield County circuit judge, a position he has held since 2003.
In this new role, Anderson will preside over a function of the court system that is often unseen, Anderson said.
He will be responsible for the administration of judicial business in circuit courts within the district, including its personnel and fiscal management. The general responsibility of the chief judge is to supervise and direct the administration of the district, including the judicial business of elected, appointed and assigned circuit judges.
This comes as the state faces a lack of attorneys, prolonging the court process for a number of defendants, particularly in northern part of the state, he said.
The 10th district covers 14 counties throughout northwest Wisconsin, including Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Iron, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix and Washburn.
Each Judicial Administrative District in Wisconsin has a chief judge, deputy chief judge and a district court administrator. The 10th District administrative office is in Hudson and the District Court Administrator is Ross Munns. Anderson has selected Douglas County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Thimm to serve as the deputy chief judge. Thimm has served as Branch 1 Circuit Court Judge in Douglas County since 2009.
“It is an honor to be selected as chief judge. I have worked very hard over the years and part of that experience has been a particular interest in judicial administration and developing best practices and good judicial policies. I have good working relationships throughout our District and the State. I think that is why I was chosen for the position,” Anderson said in the release.
Earlier this month, the state supreme court created a committee to address an attorney shortage “crisis.” The committee is composed of representatives from the State Bar of Wisconsin, attorneys and judges from around the state, as well as deans at the state’s two law schools. Officials say chief judges from Wisconsin’s judicial administrative districts will help spearhead the effort.
In the last four years, the number of active attorneys in Wisconsin has decreased by over 4 percent, and the number of students enrolling in Wisconsin’s two law schools has declined, according to a release from the State Supreme Court’s Office issued earlier this month. This trend significantly impacts the more rural parts of Wisconsin, where the number of available attorneys has decreased by more than 7%.
The issue hits particularly hard in Bayfield County, Anderson said.
“If we don’t have the biggest problem, we have the second biggest,” he said.
This shortage causes court cases to be prolonged and defendants to stay in jail for extended periods of time.
“Someone might be sitting in jail on a $1,000 cash bond and can’t pay it. It might take six-12 weeks to find a lawyer and the person’s just sitting there. The case can’t move forward until the person finds a lawyer,” he said “We got to try to resolve the problem.
This lawyer shortage not only impacts the constitutional rights of defendants — it also affects victims and communities.
“A lasting solution will require all justice partners to collaborate and coordinate efforts,” Boyle said in the release. “The Chief Justice’s committee on attorney retention and recruitment is a necessary step forward.”
Wisconsin Public Radio contributed to this story.
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