Public office
Daniel Kellum
Judicial Court Commissioner Daniel Kellum spent his first weeks on the bench setting extremely low cash bail, and in many cases no cash at all, for defendants accused of serious crimes. Kenosha County Eye watched him in Intake Court and graded that performance a C-minus. He came to the job from civil litigation with little, if any, criminal-law experience. The column says he gave too little weight to alleged violence, threats against law enforcement, and the danger a defendant may pose to the public. Wisconsin voters amended the state constitution in April 2023 so courts can consider protection from serious harm when setting release conditions and, for violent crimes, when setting cash bail. From what that column observed, Kellum is not making enough use of that authority. His bail decisions decide whether someone accused of a serious crime stays in jail or goes straight back into the community.
Currently holds
Office contact
Kenosha County Circuit Court, Judicial Court Commissioner, Courtroom 157
- Address
- 927 54th Street, Room 157, Kenosha, WI 53140
- Phone
- 262-653-2891
- Fax
- 262-653-2435
- Clerk phone
- 262-653-2664
- Clerk email
- rebecca.matoska-mentink@wicourts.gov
- Hours
- Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The county directory still prints William Michel on the Room 157 phone line. The county's judges and commissioners page now lists Daniel Kellum in Courtroom 157. The address and phone are the published contact for that seat. The fax number is the circuit court's general fax. The email is the clerk of circuit court's published address. The directory does not publish a separate email for the commissioner.
Oversight
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Appointing authority
Chief Judge Wynne Laufenberg
SCR 75.02 says the chief judge of the judicial administrative district appoints circuit court commissioners. They serve under the direction of the chief judge and the circuit judges. District 2 covers Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth counties. The district court administrator is Louis Moore, 730 Wisconsin Avenue, Racine, WI 53403, 262-636-3133.
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Supervising judge
Not published
SCR 75 says the chief judge appoints one or more supervising judges for each circuit court commissioner each year. Kenosha County has not published which judge is assigned to Kellum.
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Deputy chief judge, District 2
Chad Kerkman
Deputy chief judge for the district that includes Kenosha County. That role is not the same as the unpublished supervising-judge assignment.
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Clerk of circuit court
Rebecca Matoska-Mentink
Elected clerk. The clerk's office runs court records and courtroom support. It is a separate office from the commissioner.
Social accounts this officeholder has published
No Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube account was found that this officeholder has published.