With gratitude and admiration at the start of a new term

“Life moves pretty fast,” as Ferris Bueller says. “If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

That’s what happened a couple of weeks ago in this house, when our friend, Attorney Jim Long, swore my husband Vince into a new term of office and I didn’t even know about it until I saw the newspaper story in the Freedom Pursuit. 

“Wait, you were sworn in?” I asked him when I saw it. “How did I miss that?”

“We’ve been pretty busy around here,” he said.

But, not too busy to acknowledge cool milestones.

So, here’s to my husband Vince Biskupic at the start of his third term as Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge.

I know he enters the term with a tremendous amount of respect for the office and gratitude for the people who helped get him there. Thanks to our friends and family, Vince was able to turn in more than four times the required signatures mandated by the state elections board to get him on the ballot.

He’s also really thankful for the Branch Six Staff. His Judicial Assistant Virginia Johnson has provided dedicated service to Outagamie County for over 35 years.   His court reporter Laura Rogers and Deputy Clerk Tara Anderson have worked hard and efficiently to help process thousands of cases over the last judicial term. His many court bailiffs have skillfully assisted jurors and court attendees.

With the start of a new judicial term, Vince and his fellow judges are hoping to promote and enhance greater participation in the county’s treatment court programs and victim-impact panels.  

Vince is very honored to serve as the supervising judge for the county’s Veterans Treatment Court, during which he’s been witness to some amazing stories of the human capacity to help and heal. He also supervises the county’s OWI Victim Impact Panel and he helped create a Drug Impact Panel program.

These restorative justice panels are designed to help both victims of crime, who get to tell their stories, and offenders, who not only see the impact of their crime but also hear real life examples of a possible path forward for them.

“I’m rooting for you,” Vince told a recent group of soon-to-be-paroled state prisoners who attended an August drug impact panel and spoke to him about their plans for aftercare treatment in the community and job opportunities. That session ended with enthusiastic applause.

In his daily work, he sees people at some of their lowest points and encourages them to see a brighter future. He also gets to see people at some of the most joyous times and he loves to preside over weddings and adoptions.

Though I wasn’t there to see it, I am especially thrilled that our long-time family friend Attorney Jim Long swore in Vince for this term. I’ve known him since I was in high school and he, too, has a great respect for the law and the people who work in it. Mr. Long has close to 60 years of distinguished legal service in Outagamie County.