Judge suspended over questionable actions

The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a Dane County judge for a week Tuesday for leaving court to try to arrest a hospitalized defendant herself and getting into a sarcastic exchange with another defendant seeking a trial delay.

The court agreed with a judicial conduct review panel’s suspension recommendation for Ellen Berz, finding that she deserved more than a reprimand because she behaved impulsively and showed a lack of restraint. The suspension will begin June 26, the court ordered.

“We believe that the recommended seven-day suspension is of sufficient length to impress upon Judge Berz the necessity of patience, impartiality, and restraint in her work, and to demonstrate to the public the judiciary’s dedication to promoting professionalism among its members,” the justices wrote in the suspension order. Justice Jill Karofsky, herself a former Dane County judge, did not participate in the case.

The suspension order noted that Berz has acknowledged the facts of the case and has accepted full responsibility. Andrew Rima, one of two attorneys for Berz listed in online court records, declined to comment. Her other attorney, Steven Caya, didn’t immediately respond to an email. Berz is the second Wisconsin judge that the state Supreme Court has suspended in the last five weeks. The justices suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan indefinitely on April 29 after federal prosecutors accused her of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents by showing him out a back door in her courtroom.

A federal grand jury has indicted Dugan on one count of obstruction and one count of concealing a person to prevent arrest. She has pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial in July. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission filed a misconduct complaint against Berz, the Dane County judge, in October accusing her of failing to promote public confidence in judicial impartiality, failing to treat people professionally and failing to performing her duties without bias.

— Associated Press

I-494 will close this weekend for bridge work

Both directions of Interstate 494 between Minnesota highways 100 and 77 will be closed Friday night through Monday morning for bridge work, state transportation officials said.

Before the freeway is shut down at 10 p.m. Friday, all ramps along the route will close at 8 p.m. The freeway will open again at 5 a.m. Monday.

The closure is due to construction of a pedestrian bridge over I-494 near Chicago Avenue and the removal of the Portland Avenue bridge for reconstruction, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Motorists will be directed to Minnesota 62 via 100 and 77 as a detour.

For more information about this project or to sign up for email updates, visit the project website: mndot.gov/metro/projects/i494edina-richfield.

For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota, visit 511mn.org.

— Kristi Miller