New Protections in Wisconsin for Domestic Violence Victims

Governor Scott Walker signed several new bills into law this week which grant greater protection for domestic violence victims.

One law- called the TraJa Act- was named after Tracy Judd and her daughter Deja who were murdered in a domestic violence incident in Madison in 2009.   This law makes a third domestic violence conviction within 10 years a felony and gives judges the ability to impose harsher penalties on repeat domestic violence offenders.  It also expands the definition of a repeat offender as someone who commits domestic violence within 72 hours of a prior domestic violence arrest.  Another bill which was signed also allows judges to treat committing an act of domestic violence in front of a child as an aggravating factor during sentencing.

Gov. Walker also signed into law a measure which allows victims of domestic violence and stalking to keep a name change confidential.  Current law requires that public notice be published prior to a name change.

For more information about how to obtain restraining orders to protect against domestic violence, please see our website.

2 thoughts on “New Protections in Wisconsin for Domestic Violence Victims

  1. In Wisconsin, a judge will ONLY listen to your story if you are a woman, men have ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHTS in the state of Wisconsin unless they are rich, and can buy their rights. Ever since women got their rights in 1967 men have lost most if not ALL of their rights, legal action, legal aid, NOBODY wants to help out the guy, unless the guy has a huge house, and hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that is ONLY if the judge you get, is not against “men” in general, in the first place. Even if the “father” is trying to PROTECT his children from being hurt or molested, or killed by the woman’s 10 different boyfriends, judges in Milwaukee do not care at all, women get all the rights in Wisconsin, men get nothing, even if the man feels like his children could be in danger.

    • I’m sorry that you feel this way and you obviously have had a bad experience with the court system. In my experience, men are often successful in custody and placement disputes. However, there are many factors that the court is required to consider including the demeanor, behavior and emotions of both parties. Often, one party is so angry that this overshadows any legitimate issues which may exist in the case. This may be what happened to you. If you feel that you have been wronged, I encourage you to consult with an experienced family law attorney in your area to discuss the facts of your case to determine if you have any other options.

We welcome your comments or questions. We will do our best to try to respond. However, please be advised that we cannot give legal advice in this forum and all communications are for general informational purposes only. Communication should not be construed as forming an attorney-client relationship. This is an open forum and any information you provide may be posted and will not be held confidentially. By posting a comment or question, you are expressly giving consent for the publication of same. If you have any specific legal issues or concerns, we always recommend that you consult with an attorney in the county and state in which you reside.

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