Jackson County high on list for more judges

Jackson County has a good chance of gaining a new branch of circuit court in the next three years. 

That prediction comes from Pat Brummond, the court administrator for a 15-county area of western Wisconsin. 

Brummond also says Clark and Adams Counties could make a case for adding judges.     

Jackson County only has one branch of circuit court now, compared with three in Monroe County and five in La Crosse County. 

Last week, Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill to create 12 new branches of circuit court in the state over three years.

Individual counties will have to request the extra judges, and Brummond says a heavy load of court cases will be a key in deciding which counties pick up a circuit branch.    

A bill introduced last year in Madison singled out Jackson, Eau Claire, and Adams as some of the area counties that should be assigned an extra judge.