A state lawmaker thinks the public should be able to listen in on appellate and Supreme Court deliberations.
Arguments before the courts are already made in public, but State Representative Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids) thinks the public should also be able to watch the decision making process. He says the activites of the court should be just as open as the activites of the Legislature.
Legislation from Schneider would require all conferences between judges on the state Court of Appeals or justices of the Wisconsin State Supreme Court be open to the public.
Schneider does admit that some parts of the legislative process do take place behind closed doors, but votes happen before the public.
Officials with the state court system says the proposal could "stifle frank and critical discussions among justices."