The WNA encourages its members to lend editorial support for the passage of SB 301, the Transparent Justice Act. The bill, which was authored by state Sen. David Craig (R-Big Bend) and state Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis), has had a hearing in both the Senate and Assembly but has not yet been voted on.
The bill aims to increase transparency in the judicial system by making additional information publicly available on the Consolidated Court Automation Programs, or CCAP. It would require the following information to be publicly available and searchable in all criminal cases:
- The county in which charges were filed
- The judge assigned to the case
- All cases adjudicated by the judge
- The criminal charge filed
- The charging recommendation from the referring law enforcement agency
- Whether the case resulted in a conviction
- The penalty that was imposed, if any, in the case
The information is already being collected by the court system, but is not currently accessible via CCAP. Increasing transparency within the judicial system will better allow the public and media to track and hold accountable the elected officials who make decisions that impact our communities.
