CIRCUIT COURT II

JUDGE GEORGE GLONEK

LOCATION & CONTACT INFORMATION

Courthouse Building
1313 Belknap Street
Superior, Wisconsin  54880
Phone:  (715) 395-1207
Fax:  (715) 395-1285

MISSION STATEMENT

The circuit court system is a state court system of trial courts administered by the State of Wisconsin through judicial districts, as well as by the Director of State Courts in Madison.  Douglas County is located in the 10th Judicial District which includes 13 counties in northwestern Wisconsin.  The Chief Judge for the district is currently Judge Ben Proctor from Eau Claire County.  The circuit court system is regulated and supervised by the Wisconsin Supreme Court through Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. 

Douglas County has two circuit court judges.  They are Judge Michael T. Lucci (who presides over Branch I) and Judge George L. Glonek (who presides over Branch II).  Although the judges are state employees (paid by the state), they are elected by the residents of Douglas County and serve six year terms.  Judge Lucci was first elected in 1985.  Judge Glonek was appointed by the governor to the bench on October 28, 2002 and subsequently elected in 2003.  The salaries and powers of circuit court judges are the same throughout the state.

In Douglas County, the two court branches share the caseload.  Large claims, civil actions, small claims, divorces, adoptions, criminal cases, and forfeiture actions are all divided equally between the judges.  Currently, Branch I handles all probate matters, guardianships, and mental commitments.  Branch II handles all juvenile delinquency (criminal) cases, child protection matters, and paternity/child support cases.  Occasionally, the Douglas County judges may also be assigned to preside over pending cases in neighboring counties in the district, such as Bayfield or Burnett Counties.

Each judge has a court reporter selected by the judge, who is also a state employee.  Each judge also has a judicial assistant who is a county employee.  Besides assisting the judge with case management and scheduling, the assistant fulfills all the judge's secretarial and receptionist needs.

The office budget reflects the salary and employment benefits of one county employee (judicial assistant), as well as the cost of office supplies, equipment, and other related expenses of the office for the year.  The county does receive some money from the state every year to help defray these expenses.

The two courts in Douglas County are very busy courts.  Several years ago, Douglas County was one of 13 counties in Wisconsin on a bill to add an additional branch because of judicial needs.  However, because of the budget crisis, the bill was taken off the table and none of the Wisconsin counties have received an additional judgeship since that time.  2004 statistics indicate that Douglas County has a judicial need of 2.84 judges.  Currently, the judges are assisted in the handling of their caseloads by the Douglas County court commissioner.