On Point

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COA finds that county failing to timely file annual review of protective placement does not deprive the circuit court of competency.

Department on Aging v. J.J., 2024AP1850, 2/10/26, District I (recommended for publication); case activity

The COA held in a decision recommended for publication that the deadline for counties to file the annual review of a person subject to protective placement is directory and failing to file timely does not deprive the circuit court of competency, while reminding parties that timely annual review remains statutorily and constitutionally required.

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A belated Seventh Circuit update

We know it has been quite some time since we checked in with the Seventh. Mostly, that’s because the pace of the Court slowed down quite a bit toward the end of the year. We wanted to make this post more substantive, so we’ve combined the last few months into one update. As usual, we’ve tried to focus on cases with potential relevance to state court practitioners and thereby omit several interesting cases about federal procedure or federal statutory interpretation:

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COA holds that exclusionary rule does not apply to evidence of defendant’s flight from police after traffic stop was allegedly unlawfully extended.

State of Wisconsin v. Alsherrife Mire, 2024AP2481-CR, 2/4/26, District II (recommended for publication); case activity

In a decision recommended for publication, the COA affirmed the circuit court’s order denying the defendant’s motion to suppress the fruits of his allegedly unlawfully extended traffic stop because evidence of his flight from police was not derived from the stop.

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COA finds sufficient evidence of dangerousness and affirms protective placement

Brown County v. M.S., 2025AP1532, 2/3/26, District III (ineligible for publication); case activity

In yet another appeal focusing on Chapter 55’s dangerousness criterion, COA holds that while the County could have done a better job at this hearing, the evidence passes muster on appeal.

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Press Releases

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Public defenders back bill that would create new positions and decrease delays

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Wisconsin State Public Defenders and UW Law announce revamped Public Defender Project, bringing real-world experience into the classroom

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SPD recognizes outstanding attorneys and advocates at 2025 awards ceremony

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SPD Statement on Bill LRB-0779

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Tom Reed Retires from SPD After More Than 40 Years of Service

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Gina Pruski Presented with 2024 Lifetime of Service Award

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