Case Title: State v. Deborah J.Z.

Citation: 

Docket Number: 1996AP002797-CR

State: wisconsin

Court: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Date: 1999-04-09T00:00:00Z

Document:
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
Case No.: 
96-2797-CR 
 
 
Complete Title 
of Case: 
 
 
State of Wisconsin,  
 
Plaintiff-Respondent, 
 
v. 
Deborah J.Z.,  
 
Defendant-Appellant.  
 
ON CERTIFICATION FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS 
 
 
Opinion Filed: 
April 9, 1999 
Submitted on Briefs: 
 
Oral Argument: 
December 3, 1998 
 
 
Source of APPEAL 
 
COURT: 
Circuit 
 
COUNTY: 
Racine 
 
JUDGE: 
Dennis J. Barry 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
Concurred: 
 
 
Dissented: 
 
 
Not Participating: Abrahamson, C.J., did not participate 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
For the defendant-appellant there were briefs by 
Sally A. Hoelzel, Racine and Priscilla Smith, Bonnie Scott Jones 
and Center for Reproductive Law & Policy, New York NY and oral 
argument by Priscilla Smith. 
 
 
For the plaintiff-respondent the cause was argued 
by Joan M. Korb, assistant district attorney, with whom on the 
briefs was Robert S. Flancher, district attorney. 
 
 
Amicus curiae brief was filed by Charles H. Barr 
and Croen & Barr, of counsel, Peter M. Koneazny and American 
Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Inc., all of Milwaukee for 
the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Inc., American 
Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, Coalition 
on Addiction, Pregnancy & Parenting, Legal Action Center, 
National Council on Alcohol & Drug Dependence, National Women’s 
Health Network, NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund, Pennsylvania 
Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Planned Parenthood of 
Wisconsin, Women’s Law Project, and Women’s Rights Litigation 
Clinic. 
 
No. 
96-2797-CR 
 
1 
 
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further editing and 
modification.  The final version will appear in 
the bound volume of the official reports. 
 
 
No. 96-2797-CR 
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN               :        
        
 
 
 
 
IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
State of Wisconsin,  
 
          Plaintiff-Respondent, 
 
     v. 
 
Deborah J.Z.,  
 
          Defendant-Appellant.  
FILED 
 
APR 9, 1999 
 
Marilyn L. Graves 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
Madison, WI 
 
 
 
 
 
APPEAL from an order of the Circuit Court for Racine 
County, Dennis J. Barry, Judge.  Order granting certification 
vacated and cause remanded to the court of appeals. 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.  The court is equally divided on whether 
to affirm or reverse the order of the circuit court on the 
charge of attempted first degree intentional homicide.  Justice 
Donald W. Steinmetz, Justice Jon P. Wilcox, and Justice N. 
Patrick Crooks would affirm; Justice William A. Bablitch, 
Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, and Justice David T. Prosser would 
reverse.   
¶2 
When a certification results in a tie vote by this 
court, a course of action is to vacate our decision to accept 
certification and remand the cause to the court of appeals.  
State v. 
Watson, 
209 Wis. 2d 
281, 
282, 
562 
N.W.2d 151 
(1997)(vacating order granting certification and remanding to 
court of appeals);  State v. Richard Knutson, Inc., 191 Wis. 2d 
No. 
96-2797-CR 
 
2 
395, 396-97, 528 N.W.2d 430 (1995)(remanding to court of appeals 
on a tie vote on certification). 
¶3 
Accordingly, 
we 
vacate 
our 
order 
granting 
certification and remand the cause to the court of appeals. 
¶4 
SHIRLEY 
S. 
ABRAHAMSON, 
CHIEF 
JUSTICE, 
did 
not 
participate. 
 
No. 96-2797 
 
1