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Third ethics complaint filed against Gableman
A progressive law firm has filed an ethics complaint against former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman for his conduct during his widely derided review of the 2020 presidential election. The 108-page complaint is the third ethics complaint filed against Gableman for his actions during the 13-month investigation — which ultimately turned up zero evidence of […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court reappoints Trump lawyer to judicial conduct committee
The Wisconsin Supreme Court reappointed attorney Jim Troupis to the state’s Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee. Troupis was heavily involved in the effort by state Republicans to cast false Electoral College votes for former President Donald Trump after his 2020 election loss. Troupis, a former Dane County judge, also represented Trump in his lawsuit seeking to […]
Republican legislative leaders downplay Wisconsin budget surplus
Wisconsin’s Republican legislative leaders are downplaying the state’s surplus as the biennial budget negotiation process heats up. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Burlington) and the co-chairs of the budget writing Joint Finance Committee, Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), have all recently said that the state’s surplus, which the the nonpartisan […]
Protasiewicz says she’d recuse herself from cases involving Democratic Party
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz said Wednesday that if elected she’d recuse herself from any cases in which the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is involved because it has provided so much money to her campaign. Protasiewicz told reporters she’d step aside from such cases after she addressed the Wisconsin Counties Association’s annual legislative conference […]
Dozens of open records requests to Wisconsin DOJ have sat for more than a year
The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) has more than three dozen pending open records requests that have remained unfulfilled for more than a year, according to the agency’s public list of open requests. The backlog of requests has caused wait times to grow for newer requests. It also has open government advocates worried about the […]
Protasiewicz cruises to primary victory with focus on her ‘values’
With support from the state’s liberal establishment and massive amounts of money, Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz easily made it through Tuesday’s four-way primary for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Protasiewicz’ campaign strategy of openly sharing the “values” she holds as they relate to some of the state’s most pressing issues was […]
Former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank dies at 67
Rebecca Blank, the former chancellor of UW-Madison who led the university through the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of high tension with the state’s Republican-led Legislature, died Friday night of cancer at the age of 67. Blank served as the chancellor from 2013 to 2022 before leaving the position to become president of Northwestern University. […]
Four candidates vying to make it through to April Supreme Court general election
On Tuesday, voters will head to the polls to decide which two candidates will move on to the general election in the race for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The primary race, consisting of a four-candidate field made up of two liberals and two conservatives, has involved partisan swiping, an increasing number […]
Without dissent, Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes blow to ‘dark store’ tax theory
The Wisconsin Supreme Court sided with the City of Delavan on Thursday, deciding that its property tax assessments of a Lowe’s Home Improvement store were correct after the store had sued in an attempt to get a lower assessment, and therefore pay less property tax. The decision strikes a blow to the use of so-called […]
Joint Finance approves stewardship funds amid ongoing complaints about process, delays
The Wisconsin Legislature’s powerful Joint Finance Committee (JFC) on Wednesday approved providing $400,000 to the Town of Grand Chute through the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program to rehabilitate and trail and boardwalk in a local park. The funds approved are far less than what was initially requested by the town, highlighting an ongoing disagreement in the […]
Kelly, with a pro-business record, runs on originalism
Daniel Kelly’s campaign to regain a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, where he served from 2016 to 2020 after being appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, has largely focused on his belief that his style of constitutional originalism and his reliance on the “original public meaning” of the law is the only legitimate […]
Evers unveils voting rights provisions in budget proposal
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers unveiled a number of proposals to make voting easier as part of his 2023-25 budget, including a program to automatically register people to vote when they get a driver’s license. The automatic registration, and other voting-related proposals Evers announced, have previously been rejected by Republicans in control of the committee that […]