Politics & Government

Memorial Service for Judge Dennis Barry is Sept. 25

A memorial service for Judge Dennis Barry will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 25 at Roma Lodge, 7130 Spring St.

Racine County Circuit Court Judge was found dead after he committed suicide in a City of Racine park in August. Barry was deputy chief district judge for the judicial district that includes Racine County.

The Journal Times reported Barry was appointed to the bench in 1980 by then-Gov. Lee Dreyfus. He served as Racine County District Attorney prior to his appointment as judge. 

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Former Journal Times reporter Wendy Parks profiled Barry 11 years ago, noting his penchant for truth-seeking, even as a judge. It was common for the judge to pick up the phone while in session and make a call to check out someone's story—whether that was a student's attendance record or someone's excuse for missing court. 

Barry was an influential judge in his three decades on the bench. He helped write the state's Juvenile Justice Code in the mid-1990s, a change which allowed younger children to be charged as adults for serious crimes. A high-profile Racine case involving an 11-year-old gunman helped propel the issue forward. 

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The State Bar of Wisconsin named Barry as judge of the year in 1997 . A spokeswoman for the association told The Journal Times Barry had "demonstrated professional excellence, high ideals, personal character and a willingness to advance the quality of justice by the creation or implementation of innovative programs."

The Racine County Bar Association expressed confidence in his judicial ability in an anonymous survey conducted in 2006, The Journal Times reported. Barry earned a 4.0 out of 5 possible points in a question asking lawyers to rate judges' overall abilities.


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