ccap - CCAP Wisconsin Court Records

If you need to access Wisconsin court cases records and documents you can use the circuit court access system used by all courts in the state. This is a centralized database that allows individuals to inspect, research, and view court cases filed in the Wisconsin Judicial system.

Understanding Wisconsin Circuit Acess

This system is accessible by the public, attorneys, court clerks, judges, and various government agencies to communicate about court cases. Information is entered into the circuit court access database and the system is updated hourly to ensure the most current information is accessible to all parties.

The database is maintained by the Wisconsin Director of the State Court’s office in Madison and is updated to reflect any recent changes in Wisconsin laws and statutes.

What information is found using Wisconsin Circuit Acess?

The type of information that is available through this database varies depending on the type of court documents that you are viewing and the agency that enters the information. You can find court records on criminal, civil, family, probate, traffic, and other types of legal cases filed in a Wisconsin court.

The type of information that you will not find in the database is records that have been expunged, sealed, or anything involving juveniles or minors. Law enforcement agencies input arrests made and citations that are issued into the system regardless of a court case being filed.

The information contained in this system is public information and is the same information that can be found in the county clerk’s offices and state law enforcement agencies. This centralized database was created to make it easier to communicate and update court cases while eliminating excessive paperwork.

How do you find information on Wisconsin Circuit Acess?

Information can easily be found through the circuit court access by using the Wisconsin Courts Judicial System website. On this website, there is a link that will direct you to the database. Once you have accessed the database, you can begin looking for court cases and documents by entering in the individual’s personal information, a case number, and/or a citation number.

After entering this information into the system you will be directed to a search results page. This page will contain basic information including the party of the case, the assigned case number, and the type of case. Once you have located the individual in question, you will need to click on the individual’s name to retrieve their case summary.

The case summary page will give you options to access court case documents that have been uploaded to the case. At that point, you have the option to view the case or print it out.

Getting Help With Access

If you need assistance while researching or attempting to locate documents, you can contact the clerk of court’s office where the case was filed. You can also contact the technical support hotline if you need technical help. If you still have questions or need assistance you can reach out to the Director of the State Court’s office.

How Does the Court System Work?

The Wisconsin court system works by moving court cases through the different bodies of the court system. Before a case can go to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, it must be heard in the Appellate Court(also known as the court of appeals). There are ways that the court of appeals can be overridden and the case will move to the Supreme Court through a process known as direct review.

The court system allows you to file cases, search for cases, Livestream courts, and find forms directly from their website.

Responsibilities of Each Court

Each body of the Wisconsin Court System has different functions and responsibilities. They are divided into different branches that operate and work together to protect the rights of their citizens.

Municipal

Municipal courts are responsible for handling cases involving traffic citations, parking and ordinance, juvenile cases, and drunk driving offenses(first-time). This court will also hear cases regarding disorderly conduct, truancy, animal control violations, trespassing, building code violations, and health code violations.

The largest municipality in Wisconsin is in Milwaukee. There are 229 municipal courts throughout the state with 232 municipal judges upholding the laws of the municipal courts.

Circuit

Trial courts in Wisconsin are known as circuit courts. Circuit courts are responsible for hearing civil and criminal court cases and are divided into branches. Almost every county in the state of Wisconsin has one branch in each county except for a few counties that are paired off and share judges. Out of the 249 judges in the state of Wisconsin, 47 of these judges are used in Milwaukee county.

If a case is lost in circuit court, the party of the case can appeal the decision to the court of appeals. That party also has the right to bypass the court of appeals and file a petition to have the Supreme Court hear the case directly.

Appellate

The Appellate courts or court of appeals are divided into four districts with 16 judges overseeing these districts. The responsibility of the court of appeals is to rule in the favor of one party of the circuit case or present the case to the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals makes its decision based on the circuit court proceedings and/or oral arguments presented by each party involved in the case.

Supreme

The Supreme Court is the highest level of the Wisconsin Court System as previously mentioned. There are a total of 7 justices that sit on the Supreme court and their term lasts for ten years. The Wisconsin Court System will post decisions or opinions for all court cases on the court system’s website. The Supreme court has the power to decide which cases it will review and has authority over all courts in Wisconsin and attorneys that practice in the state.