Judge Luebke heads from Appleton to Kosovo.

Byline: Tony Anderson

An Outagamie Circuit Court judge is trading life on the bench in Appleton for an opportunity to serve as a judge in Kosovo. Judge Dennis C. Luebke, who will be heading for Kosovo in a few weeks, wrapped up his 22 years of service to the state courts Friday. Luebke officially retires June 2, but, due to accumulated vacation time, his last day was April 27. That will allow him to take care of the things he needs to before leaving for Kosovo in mid-May. Luebke is heading to the Eastern European province as part of the United Nations' effort to reintegrate law into the region. Kosovo is a province in southern Serbia, which has been under United Nations administration since 1999. He will serve as an International Judge for the United Nations. "I'll be sitting in the criminal courts of Kosovo," Luebke said. The idea of serving there arose while the 61-year-old judge was discussing retirement options with one of his colleagues. Judge Michael W. Gage directed Luebke to a Minnesota judge, who has been involved with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. Luebke was excited by the prospect of being involved with the U.N. efforts. "Part of the excitement is being over in a part of Europe that I probably would not have otherwise visited," he said. Anticipating he would retire when his term ended in 2009, Luebke applied last February. Two months later, he is packing his bags and preparing to head overseas. "Things became available and moved a lot quicker than I thought they...