This chapter may be cited as the “Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Rule.”
821.12.Short title.
Ch. 821: Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Rule · Last amended 1982 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 821.12 gives chapter 821 its official short title, the Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Rule, so courts and parties can refer to it by a single recognized name.
Full Text of Section 821.12
Plain-English Summary
Section 821.12 is a naming provision. It says chapter 821 may be cited as the Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Rule, the mechanism Wisconsin courts use when a federal court or another state’s court needs an authoritative answer to an unsettled question of Wisconsin law to decide a case pending before it.
Because the section uses permissive language, citing the chapter by its short title is a convenience, not a requirement. Someone can still refer to it as chapter 821 or by its individual section numbers. The short title exists so that a single, recognized name is available when a shorter reference is useful, and it signals the uniform-act character of the chapter that section 821.11’s construction clause is meant to preserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chapter 821 officially called?
Section 821.12 says it may be cited as the Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Rule.
Why does a chapter of the Wisconsin statutes need a short title?
A short title gives courts and parties a single, recognized name to use instead of repeating the full chapter number and description, and it flags that the chapter is drawn from a uniform act adopted across states.
Is citing chapter 821 by its short title required, or just an option?
It is an option. The section says the chapter may be cited that way; it does not require every reference to the chapter to use the short title.
Does the word ‘uniform’ in the title connect to anything else in chapter 821?
Yes. Section 821.11 directs that the chapter be construed to further uniformity with the same rule as enacted in other states, which is the purpose the short title reflects.
Does section 821.12 change any substantive rule about certifying questions of law?
No. It only supplies the chapter’s name; the substantive rules for certification appear elsewhere in chapter 821.
Amendment History
History: Sup. Ct. Order, 107 Wis. 2d xiii (1982).
Source & verification. Section text and official notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, published by the
Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau). Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: wisconsin uniform certification of questions of law rule short titlechapter 821 name wisconsinwis stat 821.12certification of questions of law act wisconsin