After existing for most of the City's history, the Municipal Court was merged with
the Circuit Court in 1962 when the Wisconsin court system was reorganized. In 1974,
the City of Milwaukee Municipal Court was reestablished to handle offenses which
happen within city limits, usually consisting of traffic violations, vandalism,
loitering, disorderly conduct, theft, truancy, building code violations, etc. The
primary sentence of municipal court are fines to be paid to the city, which the
mayor and Common Council then distributes in the next annual budget. Municipal Court
hearings are not heard by a jury but rather decided by the judge alone. Milwaukee’s
Municipal Court has three judges, each of which is elected to preside over one of
the court’s three branches. These three include a Presiding Judge who establishes
judicial policies and guidelines. Directly beneath the judges in the Municipal
Court’s Organizational Chart is the Chief Court Administrator, who manages correspondence, assists with
scheduling, and oversees the rest of the court’s departments.
