(The Center Square) – Judges and jurors in Wisconsin will soon see expanded protections take effect, thanks to a pair of bills signed into law Friday by Gov. Tony Evers that are set to reshape how courts safeguard their privacy and safety.
Senate Bill 5, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 26, increases the penalties for threatening to, or battering, a juror or a juror’s family member.
To do so in Wisconsin is now a Class H felony, punishable by up to 6 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
“Our criminal justice system doesn’t work without jurors,” bill co-author Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said in a statement. “Threatening a juror or his or her family to get a desired outcome puts the whole system at risk. There must be severe consequences for seeking to illegally undermine justice.”
Before the new law, Wisconsin had no statutory recognition of threats or battery specifically directed at jurors or their families, although the state already had similar protections for judges, prosecutors, witnesses and their families.
Now, such crimes against jurors will carry the same Class H felony as they would for those other court actors.
The second bill Evers signed into law expands privacy protections for judicial officers, such as judges and court commissioners, and their families.
Senate Bill 169, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 25, also co-authored by Wanggaard, restricts public access to judges’ personal information in government records, online databases and certain private business records.
Wanggaard cited the 2022 murder of former Judge John Roemer in his home as a factor that went into making the bill.
“Whether it is Judge Roemer, who was killed in his home a few years ago, or someone else, public officials are increasingly at risk from unhinged individuals,” Wanggaard said. “I am proud to have worked with Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler and Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison, to create these common sense privacy protections for judges.”
The personal information now protected includes home addresses linked with names, names of children under 18 and certain contact information.
