Wisconsin Supreme Court

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest and final court of appeals in the judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It hears appeals from lower Wisconsin courts, its decisions bind those courts, and it is the final authority on the Wisconsin State Constitution. It may also take original jurisdiction of cases, and it regulates and administers the conduct of judges and lawyers who practise in the state. Seven justices sit on the court. They are chosen in statewide non-partisan elections for ten-year terms, with only one justice elected in any year, and a vacancy is filled by gubernatorial appointment until the first year in which no other justice's term expires. Since a constitutional amendment of April 2015 the justices elect their own chief justice every two years by majority vote. The court normally hears arguments in the East Wing of the State Capitol in Madison and, under its Justice on Wheels program begun in 1993, travels to another part of the state once or twice a year. Its recent elections drew national attention as the most expensive judicial elections in United States history.