Madison – Representative Shae Sortwell (R-Gibson) released the following statement in response to today’s Brown County press conference pertaining to a budget motion filed by Brown County legislators:
“The Brown County court system has faced a serious case backlog for several years, primarily due to staffing shortages. This can lead to a myriad of issues, such as overworked judges and district attorneys, unprosecuted crime, and hearing delays.”
At the end of 2024, Brown County had 2,858 pending felony criminal cases with a median age of 296 days. Both of those numbers have continued to climb each year since 2020.
“Enough is enough. The state legislature needs to provide aid to Brown County’s court system. And so, I am happy to have worked with Representative Ben Franklin (R – De Pere) and my other Brown County colleagues in filing a budget motion to the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. The motion would expand operations for the Brown County courts by adding multiple judges, assistant district attorneys, and state public defender support staff. Over time, we believe this will create safer communities.”
In total, the filed budget motion would add two judges, three assistant district attorneys, and two state public defender support staff positions.
Representative Sortwell is available for comment.
