Portage County v. D.P.W.O., 2023AP1975, 3/7/24, District IV (one-judge decision; ineligible for publication); case activity In yet another appeal challenging the use of hearsay statements contained within an examiner’s report, COA rejects D.P.W.O.’s attempt to use the plain error doctrine to prove that this unpreserved error merits reversal of the extension order. At D.P.W.O.’s extension… Read more
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Winnebago County v. T.S., 2023AP1267, 3/6/24, District II (one-judge decision; ineligible for publication); case activity In yet another 51 appeal attacking the sufficiency of the circuit court’s findings, COA rejects the County’s arguments and reverses. “Terry” was originally placed in DHS custody following an NGI verdict in his 2018 criminal case. (¶3). Shortly before his… Read more
Winnebago County v. C.J.H., 2023AP1263, 3/6/24, District II (one-judge decision; ineligible for publication); case activity In a 51 appeal presenting several commonly litigated issues, COA finds no error and affirms. This is an appeal from an initial commitment order involving “Carly,” who allegedly became suicidal after being detained at the Winnebago County Jail. (¶3). Following… Read more
State v. H.C., 2023AP1950, 3/5/24, District I (one-judge decision; ineligible for publication); petition for review granted 9/11/24; reversed 6/3/25 case activity In an interesting decision that seems almost guaranteed to invite review by SCOW, COA departs from the plain language of the statute and reads a burden of proof requirement into the TPR dispositional procedure. Before… Read more
State v. Ashley Jean Campbell, 2020AP1813, 3/5/24, District 3 (recommended for publication); case activity As a matter of first impression in Wisconsin, the court of appeals holds that regardless of whether the “instinct exception” exists, “the exception does not apply under the facts in this case to excuse the State’s obligation to obtain a warrant… Read more
February brought several meaty criminal (or criminal-adjacent) appeals: Thomas Moorer v. City of Chicago, et al., No. 22-1067: This § 1983 case centers on whether Chicago PD had probable cause to detain Moorer on suspicion of being the shooter in a messy homicide investigation. It would appear that Moorer was developed as a suspect almost… Read more
State v. I.A.A., 2023AP1723-24, 2/28/24, District 2 (one-judge decision; ineligible for publication); case activity Long story short, the court of appeals affirms the orders terminating I.A.A.’s (“Ivy’s”) parental rights despite the circuit court’s admitted failure to comply with Wis. Stat. § 48.422(3)’s mandate to take testimony related to grounds at Ivy’s no contest plea hearing… Read more
So far this year, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals has published one criminal law related decision. Here are the publication orders for January and February 2024. The lone published decision is in State v. Dustin J. VanderGalien, 2024 WI App 4 (rejecting a constitutional challenge to the criminalization of driving with a detectable non-impairing cocaine… Read more
