Wisconsin Supreme Court Notice

Order 16-05E: Creation of a Pilot Project for Dedicated Trial Court Judicial Dockets for Large Claim Business and Commercial Cases

In the fall of 2016, then-Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack established the Business Court Advisory Committee to explore commercial court dockets in Wisconsin. On Oct. 26, 2016, the committee filed Rule Petition 16-05 requesting authorization for a three-year pilot project to create dedicated trial court judicial dockets for large claim business and commercial cases in Waukesha County and in the circuit courts of the Eighth Judicial Administrative District. The court approved the pilot project and issued S. Ct. Order 16-05, 2017 WI 33 (issued Apr. 11, 2017; eff. July 1, 2017), which formally created the requested pilot project, subject to certain amendments, and adopted related interim rules governing the project. The initial pilot project ran from July 2017 to July 2020. The pilot project was thereafter expanded to additional circuit courts and extended for an additional two years, until July 2022, and the interim rules were amended. Subsequent petitions to further extend the pilot project were filed and approved.

On May 30, 2024, the committee filed Rule Petition 16-05E, seeking an amendment to the interim rules governing the pilot project to extend the pilot project until July 1, 2026.

ORDER ISSUED: June 19, 2024

DISPOSITION: Pilot project temporarily extended pending court's disposition of Rule Petition 16-05E; existing interim rules remain in effect until further court order.