Stump the Law Librarian

Q: We all know the three branches of government on the WI and federal levels are legislative, executive, and judicial (Editor's Note: If you didn't know that, consider taking our "Legal Research in a Nutshell" class), but what about on the local levels of government?

A: Think about the function of each branch of government and maybe you can see more clearly how they fit together on the local level:
*Legislative: Who makes the laws on the local level? Most likely the county board of supervisors or city or common council.
*Executive: Who regulates or enforces the law? The city and county agencies, such as police, sheriff, zoning, city building inspection, and other administrative agencies, including the mayor and county executive's offices.
*Judicial: This one should be easy...who interprets the law? The municipal and circuit courts.

This is a basic answer to your question. For a closer look at city and county government, feel free to stop into the Dane Co Legal Resource Center or email your specific question.

Stump the Law Librarian is a new feature of DCLRCBlawg. If you would like a question answered, please email your question to dclrc.ref@wicourts.gov and watch for the answer in the DCLRCBlawg or DCLRC Docket newsletter.