In Re Court of Appeals of Wisconsin

In April, 1977, the voters of Wisconsin endorsed by over a two-thirds margin the establishment of a Court of Appeals.

The language of Article VII, section 2, of the Constitution as approved by the voters creates “a court of appeals” and authorizes the Legislature to decide the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals, the number of judges, the districts in which the judges would be elected, and the districts for venue purposes. The legislature was directed to have the Court of Appeals operational by August 1,1978.

To implement the constitutional amendment, the Legislative Council appointed a…