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We must hold Wisconsin’s fraudulent electors accountable
I remember last Jan. 6 distinctly. It dawned as a day of optimism. I had spent the past two months, as special counsel for Gov. Tony Evers, working around the clock with a phenomenal team to protect the results of Wisconsin’s presidential election. We fought off nearly a dozen lawsuits, in state and federal courts, […]
Justice Ginsburg’s seat must not be filled before Inauguration Day
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death last Friday left a massive void on the United States Supreme Court. President Trump and the United States Senate must wait to fill that void. Although the President and Senate should follow the precedent set by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues in 2016, when they refused […]
Federal appeals court checks the legislature’s expanding power
Who speaks for the State of Wisconsin in court? Until recently, the answer has always been the Attorney General. Wisconsin voters elect a chief legal officer every four years. Absent extenuating circumstances, the AG represents the state, its officials, and its departments, agencies, commissions, and councils. When the governor or another executive branch official is […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court quietly stripped constitutional authority from circuit courts
The Wisconsin Constitution defines the powers of our state courts. It provides that every circuit court has the power to adjudicate “all matters civil and criminal” and “may issue all writs necessary in aid of its jurisdiction.” This is legalese for a simple proposition: our county trial courts are the primary forum to resolve disputes, […]
Partial veto is a deliberate check on legislative power
Since 1930, the Wisconsin Constitution has authorized our governors to veto portions of bills that appropriate funds. This broad authority has given all of our modern governors greater power within the legislative process than the President of the United States or other governors have. (Several states allow vetoes of individual line-item appropriations, but few grant […]