MADISON (WKOW) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended Dane County Circuit Judge Ellen K. Berz for seven days without pay. The decision comes after findings of judicial misconduct in two separate incidents, according to a report by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission.
The first incident took place in May 2019 during a hearing for State v. Richard Harrison, Jr. Judge Berz was found to have violated the Code of Judicial Ethics by being intemperate and discourteous during court proceedings.
The second incident occurred in December 2021 in the case of State v. Noah Hodges. Berz attempted to retrieve a defendant from a hospital herself, abandoning her role as a neutral magistrate.
The Judicial Conduct Panel, composed of Judges M. Joseph Donald, Lisa S. Neubauer, and Mark D. Gundrum, found these actions to be serious misconduct. "The judicial intemperance displayed by Judge Berz is simply not acceptable," the panel said.
Berz admitted to the allegations and agreed to the disciplinary action. This is her first disciplinary action since being elected to the bench in 2012.
The suspension will begin on June 26.
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