Assembly Bill 144 proposes to amend the current statutes regarding the number of judges in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Specifically, the bill seeks to eliminate one judgeship from District IV upon the expiration of the current judge's term on July 31, 2026. In contrast, it establishes an additional judgeship for District III, which will bring the total number of judges in each district to four starting August 1, 2026. The initial election for this new judgeship in District III is scheduled for the spring election of 2026, with the term commencing on August 1, 2026, and concluding on July 31, 2032.

The bill includes specific legal language changes, notably amending section 752.03 of the statutes to reflect these adjustments. The current provision stating that there shall be 16 court of appeals judges is modified to indicate that, beginning August 1, 2026, there will be four judges elected from each of the four districts specified in the relevant statutes. This restructuring aims to balance the number of judges across the districts while addressing the judicial needs of the state.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 752.03