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Before Wednesday morning, Columbia County Circuit Court Judge W. Andrew Voigt would have bet that few members of the county’s Board of Supervisors knew what judicial district the county’s courts are in, or why it matters.

But by the end of the meeting, he had the County Board’s unanimous support for his efforts to oppose a proposed realignment of those districts, which would have grouped Columbia County’s courts with those of the much more populous Dane and Rock counties.

Such outspoken opposition, Voigt said, could very well hurt his judicial career by branding him as a “boat rocker.” He couldn’t be dismissed as a judge – not unless the county’s voters don’t re-elect him, anyway – but he could, he said, be permanently removed from consideration as a future chief judge of a judicial district.

“The district is way more important to me than that title, or some post,” he said.

Voigt said the state Supreme Court and the director of state courts, Randy Koschnick, are considering a proposal to dissolve Judicial District 6 (one of 10), which includes the circuit courts in Columbia, Adams, Clark, Dodge, Green Lake, Juneau, Marquette, Portage, Sauk, Waushara and Wood counties.