Shawano County officials have not been quiet in their talk about needing a third judge to handle the caseload at the courthouse.
All that talk may be about to pay off — at least a bit.
Ethan Schmidt, the county clerk of courts, said a court-required recording system will be installed in the County Board Room in the courthouse later this month for use by a judge.
“This will allow us to have a reserve judge here once a week,” he said.
Shawano County has two judges, William Kussel Jr. and Katherine Sloma. The two judges preside over cases in Shawano and Menominee counties.
Oconto County has two judges, while Waupaca County has three.
As of Sept. 30, the two-judge Shawano County court system handled 556 felony criminal cases in 2025, compared to 319 in Waupaca County and 187 in Oconto County. The number of felony misdemeanor cases was 356 for Shawano County, 320 for Waupaca County and 95 for Oconto County.
Shawano County also set the pace with 174 criminal traffic cases, while Waupaca County had 155, and Oconto County had 89.
Traffic citations numbered 3,105 in Shawano County, 2,401 in Waupaca County and 1,187 in Oconto County.
Because of the number of cases in Shawano and Menominee counties, with only two judges to hear them, cases often take longer to make their way through the system, as the court docket is often filled months into the future.
“That new judge should help us out tremendously,” Supervisor Jeremy Gretzinger said at the Oct. 1 Shawano County Public Safety Committee meeting.
Wisconsin circuit courts are divided into branches with at least one branch in every county, with the exception of six counties that are paired off and share judges. The paired counties are Buffalo and Pepin, Florence and Forest, and Shawano and Menominee.
The first two pairs are each staffed by a single judge who travels between the courthouses; Menominee County is a federal reservation, and both judges for this circuit are located in Shawano.
Of the remaining circuits, 23 have a single judge and the largest circuit is Milwaukee County with 47 judges.
Jim Davel, administrative coordinator, said all of the proposals for new county buildings include plans for a permanent third judge.
The circuit courts are funded with a combination of state and county money.
State funds are used to pay the salaries and fringe benefits of the judges, official and district court reporters, and reserve judges (former judges who are assigned to hear cases when the need arises). The state also funds travel and training for judges. By law, the counties are responsible for all other operating costs.
According to the Wisconsin Court System, in 2023, there were 703,253 cases opened in the state’s circuit courts.
In terms of court workload statewide, it is estimated that criminal matters take 50% of available circuit court time; civil matters, including family and small claims, take 34%; and the remaining 16% covers traffic, juvenile and probate cases.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
