JUDGE ADDS BLOGGING TO HIS CASELOAD

JOHN DIMOTTO DEBUTS

"BENCH AND BAR EXPERIENCES"

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge John DiMotto [Branch 41] entered the blogosphere yesterday, Thursday, December 3rd, 2009, with a site he titled "Bench and Bar Experiences." It's available at the link to the left or at johndimotto.blogspot.com.
In today's post he recounts, in general, his activities of yesterday, exercising judicial restraint by redacting names and particulars.
Although the judge says he usually has a good idea of what he will face in court each day, sometimes you just never know.
Let's take a "routine" name change case, for example:

The morning case was a name change. Simple you might think. Think again. The individual seeking the name change is in the middle of a felony prosecution. No direct notice given to the DA. Result, case adjourned.

DiMotto also heard a Restraining Order case -- by a woman against her probation officer. "Not something you see every day," he says.

He is believed to be the first Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge to blog about his experiences, and it is likely other judges will follow his blog, and maybe later, his lead.

Colleague J. D. Watts, informed of Dimotto's new blog, noted there are numerous restrictions on public expressions by the judiciary. For example, judges are generally restricted from issuing opinions on matters that are before their courts or are likely to become so. Judges also don't get involved in political issues, and no jurist wants to be tagged with the term "Judicial Activist,' with its implications of bias.
As a result, unfortunately, it is exceedingly rare to hear any judge say anything about anything, or write anything about anything.
Still there are exceptions -- Judge Richard Posner, of the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, with 40 books to his credit, cranks them out like he's Danielle Steele, and he's a blogger as well.  So, there's a precedent!
I think too often the judiciary has erred on the side of caution by its silence. As a result the workings of the law have become too opaque and removed from the people. Furthermore, recent contested court elections show the public could probably use some information about what a judge does -- and doesn't do. Or, as a title of a Posner book suggests, "How Judges Think."
Judge Watts was confident if anybody could do a good judicial blog it would be DiMotto, adding "he's the expert on the issue" of what judicial propriety. He's also a good writer, which helps.
DiMotto, an early riser, says he's likes to compose his blogs and Facebook posts in the morning before he heads to the courthouse, and checks in during his lunch hour when he can. I was happy to spend an hour of my lunchtime yesterday giving the judge a few blog pointers at his request. He's off and running, and I look forward to following his bench and bar experiences. I hope other judges follow suit, since it is in the interest of the People that we learn "how judges think."
--Michael Horne

BIKE SWAP SUNDAY AT UWM UNION

 

above: CHIMO BIKE

The UWM Union will be the site of a citywide Bike Swap Sunday, December 6th, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parts, clothing and entire bikes will be featured. A number of merchants have rented tables, and individuals can bring in a bike to be sold at the Bike Corral. Entrance fee is $5 and it's $5 to sell a bike at the Bike Corral. Donations, especially of kid's bikes will be accepted, according to Jake Newborn of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, which sponsors the event along with the Milwaukee Junior Cycling Team and the UWM Cycling Club. I'm bringing a 1980's Chimo Capri, similar to the one above. Too small for me, ideal for somebody in the 5'4"-5'8" range.
--Michael Horne

MADISON WINS NATIONAL BIKE POLO TOURNEY BID

The 2010 North American Hardcourt Bicycle Polo Championships will be held in Madison next July it was announced this week. Milwaukee's Beaver Boys took 3rd place in the 2009 Seattle championships.
--Michael Horne



FORMER POLICE COMMISSION CHAIR STARTS GAY NEWSPAPER


Leonard Sobczak, CEO of Eastmore Real Estate and former Chair of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners of the City of Milwaukee has founded the Wisconsin Gazette, and WisconsinGazette.com, information sources for the gay community.
The mission:

To inform, engage and empower Wisconsin's LGBT community by providing a professional, independent print and online source for news and commentary, as well as coverage of political and cultural issues.

The publisher / editor is Louis Weisberg, formerly of the Chicago Free Press, who also does a considerable amount of reporting in the paper, following standard principles of journalism, not always a guarantee in the gay press.
The second issue hit the stands Thursday, December 3rd, 2009. It is the first gay publication in these parts to have a fair number of non-gay advertisements, which is perhaps a herald of the mainstreamization of the gay culture, let's hope.
--Michael Horne