Need a dedicated site for your charge? For OWI/DUI matters, visit racineowi.com. For traffic tickets, speeding, CDL, reckless driving, license suspensions, visit racineticket.com. Both are operated by Cafferty, Scheidegger & Johnson, S.C. and serve Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties.
Charged with a crime in Racine County? Here is what happens next.
Being arrested is not the same as being convicted, and very little about your case is settled yet. What is true is that a clock has started. The decisions made in the first few days, usually before anyone has spoken to a lawyer, tend to shape everything that comes after.
If you are reading this at two in the morning after a bad night, that is normal. Here is what is actually in front of you.
Your first court date
Your first appearance in Racine County Circuit Court is called the initial appearance. The charge against you is read out, and the court sets the conditions of your release. Those conditions bind you from that moment. They can include no-contact orders, travel limits, or a requirement to avoid alcohol, and violating one is a separate problem on top of the case you already have.
This is early, and it matters more than most people expect. Conditions set on day one can stay in place for months.
What you say now can be used later
You are not required to explain yourself to police, and doing so rarely helps. Officers are permitted to question you, and what you say becomes evidence whether or not you were formally warned first. Declining to answer until you have a lawyer is not an admission of anything.
Felony or misdemeanor changes everything
Wisconsin sorts criminal cases into misdemeanors and felonies, and the two follow different paths through the court. A felony charge adds a preliminary hearing, where the state has to show there is probable cause for the case to continue. That hearing is an opportunity, and it is one of the earliest points where a weak case can be tested.
Most criminal cases in Wisconsin resolve without a trial. That is not a reason to treat the early stages as a formality. It is the reason they matter, because what gets negotiated later depends on what was preserved, challenged, or given away at the start.
Where your case will be heard
Criminal cases charged in Racine County are heard at the Racine County Circuit Court, 730 Wisconsin Avenue, Racine, WI 53403. The clerk of circuit court can be reached at (262) 636-3333 for scheduling and file questions, though they cannot give you legal advice about your case.
Our office is at 840 Lake Avenue in Racine, a few minutes from the courthouse, with free parking on site. We have been appearing in that building since 1994, in front of the judges who will be handling your case. Knowing how a particular court actually operates is not a small advantage.
Charges we defend in Racine County
We handle criminal and traffic matters only, which means this is the work the firm does every day rather than one department among many.
- OWI and DUI
- Drug charges
- Marijuana charges
- Disorderly conduct
- Domestic violence and assault
- Homicide
- Child endangerment
- Traffic violations
- Appeals, parole, and probation
Why people in Racine call us
We have defended Racine County clients for more than 32 years. The firm has been listed as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer from 2008 - 2026, and readers of the Journal Times have voted us Best of Racine in the legal category five times, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025.
Those are reasons to trust the answer you get. They are not the reason to call. The reason to call is that you have a court date coming and you should not walk into it guessing.
Talk to a Racine criminal defense lawyer
The first conversation is free and confidential, and it does not commit you to hiring anyone. If you decide we are not the right fit, you will still leave the call knowing what you are facing.
Call (262) 632-5000. We answer by phone and text around the clock, because arrests do not keep business hours. You can also send us a message and we will get back to you.
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