May 13, 2021
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Open Government (OOG) has prepared the following advisory in response to inquiries as to the applicability of Wisconsin’s public records law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31 to 19.39, in light of Marsy’s Law, the constitutional amendment to Article I, section 9m, of the Wisconsin Constitution, which created additional rights and protections for crime victims in Wisconsin. This advisory is provided pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.39 and does not constitute an informal or formal opinion of the Attorney General pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 165.015(1).
Both Marsy’s Law and Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 950 ensure that the rights of crime victims are protected. Ensuring public access to records also remains essential. As explained below, except where disclosure is mandated or barred by statute or common law, records custodians and authorities must continue applying the public records law balancing test when responding to public records requests for records that contain information about crime victims. In conducting that balancing test, however, records custodians and authorities should bear in mind that the amendment of the Wisconsin Constitution to incorporate Marsy’s Law strengthened the already-significant public policy interest in protecting victims’ rights.