BROWN COUNTY (NBC 26) — Wisconsin judges are taking on increasingly more work as a shortage of judicial officials strains courts across the state and delays justice for litigants.
A report by the Wisconsin Court System, in partnership with the National Center for State Courts, shows the state is short about 31 judges.
Brown County ranks third-worst in the state for judicial workload, which means it's taking longer for judges to process cases than it did 10 years ago.
"There's just all kind of challenges that we're seeing through the system that need to be worked on," said Eric Toney, Fond du Lac County District Attorney.
Toney says the volume of cases judges and attorneys are expected to handle is unsustainable.
"It becomes an almost impossibility for one person to be ready for that volume of cases," he stated.
The pressure on judges is also taking a personal toll.
"Burnout is a real thing," said Toney.
Watch the full story by Jessica Goska here:
Crime lab delays are compounding the problem, further slowing case resolution.
For victims and communities, the backlog means waiting longer for resolution.
"There's certain things that have to get fixed to make sure that we can move cases more efficiently through the judicial system to make sure we're getting justice for victims and finality for communities," noted Toney.
The report's findings will now be reviewed by a committee of chief judges, who will then make budget requests to address judicial resource needs across the state.
Read the full report here.
