The newly elected chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court said she’ll donate a portion of her salary to a commission that provides legal assistance to people who can’t afford a lawyer.
Justice Patience Roggensack was elected chief by a majority of her fellow justices Thursday. In a letter following her election, she promised to donate her $8,000 salary increase to the Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission.
Commission President James Gramling said he hopes Roggensack’s gesture sends a message to the governor and the Legislature. He said Wisconsin is one of only three states that does not provide direct funding for civil legal aid
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“We’re hopeful that the Legislature and governor will take a fresh look at the budget and that the Joint Finance Committee will, and then the governor will see fit to resume funding for civil legal aid,” Gramling said.
Chief Justice Roggensack, along with other members of the court, have been supportive of such aid in the past and called on the legislature to provide it.
In her letter, Roggensack also promised to use her leadership role to repair the damage she says has been done to the courts reputation over the past several years.
She also said she’s committed to enacting reforms that will result in a more efficient and timely release of supreme court rulings by reducing the amount of time between oral arguments and the release of opinions.
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