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Assembly elections committee gets clerks’ views on election law changes
At an informational hearing of the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections on Thursday, county and municipal clerks — and their expert opinions — were invited to weigh in on ways in which the state’s election systems can be improved. The hearing continued the committee’s focus on bipartisanship under the body’s chair, Rep. Scott […]
Vos says he’ll attempt to stop pay raises for 34,000 UW employees until universities cut DEI programs
Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Burlington) says he’ll attempt to withhold pay raises from tens of thousands of employees at UW System schools unless the universities cut positions aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion on campuses. Vos said last week in an interview with WisPolitics, “I don’t think that they [UW System] deserve to have […]
Conservation groups seek to halt Trump-approved logging project in Wisconsin Northwoods
A coalition of more than two dozen conservation groups sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Tuesday seeking to stop a logging project in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest over concerns that the Trump administration’s approval of the project didn’t adequately account for its environmental impacts. The plan, known as the Fourmile Vegetation Project, […]
Legal fight over Protasiewicz recusal from gerrymandering lawsuits continues
Republican lawmakers seeking to intervene in the two lawsuits that threaten to upend their hold on power in the Legislature argued in a court filing Monday that liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz should still recuse herself from the lawsuits despite the state Judicial Commission’s dismissal of complaints against her over the same issues. Since before the […]
Embracing election denial, Wisconsin Senate Republicans vote to fire chief election official
Moments after every Republican in the Wisconsin Senate voted to reject the confirmation of Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe to a second term, the observers in the gallery — a crowd made up of some of the state’s most prominent 2020 election conspiracy theorists and their supporters in a variety of red Trump hats […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court hears arguments in case on allowing prior sexual assault as evidence
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments in the first criminal case of its new term Wednesday, weighing if prior sexual assaults should be allowed to be used as evidence in sexual assault cases. The case, Wisconsin v. Seaton, involves a man accused of sexually assaulting his 17-year-old friend after she had been drinking. The man […]
Lawsuit asks Wisconsin Supreme Court to block impeachment before Assembly acts
One of the attorneys who filed a lawsuit seeking to have the Wisconsin Supreme Court block the state Assembly from beginning impeachment proceedings against a justice says he sees the action as one of the Court’s “sacred duties.” In the lawsuit filed Monday, the Court is asked to order that the Assembly can’t begin impeachment […]
WI Supreme Court starts term with cases on adoption, religious exemptions to unemployment law
After nearly six weeks of controversy as Wisconsin Republicans reacted to the ideological flipping of the state Supreme Court and its potential decisions in high profile cases, the body met Monday to hear arguments on the state’s rules for adoptions and how the state’s unemployment insurance rules apply to religious organizations. The two sets of […]
Senate Committee votes to fire WEC administrator
A Republican-controlled Senate committee voted Monday not to approve the rehiring of Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Administrator Meagan Wolfe. A majority on the committee sided with prominent election conspiracy theorists over the objections of the state’s election officials, in a decision that moves the fight over Wolfe’s reappointment one step closer to legal action. Since […]
New Wisconsin Supreme Court meets for first time in hearing on eviction records rule change
The recently flipped Wisconsin Supreme Court met publicly for the first time Thursday, holding a hearing on a petition that would change court rules for how long evictions remain accessible on the state’s court access website. Since August, the court has been embroiled in controversy as the presence of new Justice Janet Protasiewicz gave liberals […]
Dems launch defense of Protasiewicz as GOP impeachment threats continue
Wisconsin Democrats are warning that Republican lawmakers could initiate a constitutional crisis if they follow through with threats to impeach state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz over campaign comments and donors. To back up that warning, Democrats announced a plan to pressure Republicans to “do the right thing and defend our democracy.” In the month […]
Judicial Commission dismisses complaints against Protasiewicz campaign remarks
A Wisconsin judiciary disciplinary panel has dismissed several complaints lodged against state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz over comments she made during her campaign this spring. The complaints alleged that her comments calling Wisconsin voting maps “rigged” had violated that state’s judicial code of ethics, the panel’s dismissal is a blow to Republican efforts to […]