State v. Irish

In State v. Irish, 210 Wis. 2d 107, 565 N.W.2d 161 (Ct. App. 1997), the Court first "determined that the statutory definition of 'Sexually violent offense' found in ch. 980 is ambiguous." Id. at 110. The Court then examined the scope and history of the crime at issue, which had been repealed and recreated, and we concluded that the legislature intended "that anyone convicted under the former statute . . . could be convicted under the new one." Id. at 111. The Court concluded that this was so because the changes in the statute "broadened rather than restricted the scope of the offense." Id. Finally, the Court looked to chapter 980's historical background and "broad temporal scope" to support our conclusion. Irish, 210 Wis. 2d at 112-13.