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Supreme Court decision on Wisconsin maps part of a drive to undermine democracy
Over and over again during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Biden nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Republicans denounced the idea of “packing the Court” by expanding the number of justices from nine to 13. But Wednesday’s decision rejecting Wisconsin’s voting maps and throwing the 2022 election process — which is already underway […]
Can Wisconsin government ever become functional again?
Politics have become so dysfunctional in Wisconsin that the Legislature has taken to simply ignoring the things people actually care about, in order to focus on wild conspiracies about how the election was stolen from Donald Trump. From removing toxic chemicals from our drinking water to adequately funding our schools to dealing with a completely […]
The Examiner is hiring!
The Wisconsin Examiner is seeking a seasoned political reporter to join our team covering the Capitol, policy and politics around the state. Join our fun, fast-paced work environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits. Diverse applicants are encouraged to apply. The position of Senior Reporter involves covering the Legislature and other beats around the state. […]
Do-nothing Legislature skips out on Wisconsin schools
Our Legislature, which earned the dubious distinction of being the least active full-time legislature in the nation during the height of the pandemic, chose, in the current session, to start its summer vacation on March 9. That wouldn’t be so bad if the Republicans who control both the Assembly and the Senate hadn’t wasted the […]
A moment of clarity on voting rights
During Thursday’s Milwaukee Press Club panel discussion about the latest Marquette University Law School poll, Charles Franklin, the poll’s director and one of the most respected pollsters in the country, took a rare break from his usual careful neutrality to answer a question about his childhood in the segregated south in the 1950s and 60s. […]
Marquette poll shows most Wisconsin voters are undecided
The new Marquette University Law School poll, released Wednesday, shows that half of Democratic and Republican voters don’t yet know who they will support in the August 9 primaries for governor and U.S. Senate. Former Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch still leads the field of Republican contenders seeking to challenge Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, with […]
In the State of the Union, Biden tries to hold us together
In a State of the Union address focused on unity and optimism, Biden reassured the nation that “you, the American people, are strong.” We are “stronger than a year ago,” he told us. “You’ll be OK,” he said at another point, acknowledging the devastation of the pandemic, the uncertainty of the economy, of inflation, of […]
Dems roll out BadgerCare Public Option Act
Democratic legislators, together with members of Citizen Action and the Main Street Alliance introduced the BadgerCare Public Option Act during a virtual press conference Monday. The bill, an ambitious effort to expand access to health care for Wisconsinites, was introduced by Reps. Kristina Shelton (D-Green Bay) and Supreme Moore Omokunde (D-Milwaukee) with Sens. Chris Larson […]
Robin Vos’ big splash on the Assembly’s last day
Robin Vos is a professional. Even when he’s down he relentlessly seeks his political advantage. He found it on Thursday, the last day of the Assembly floor session. Democrats were incensed that Vos, in announcing his plan to wrap things up on Thursday, tossed aside dozens of bills, some with bipartisan support, that aimed to […]
Education politics day in the Wisconsin Assembly
The Assembly passed a series of education bills Tuesday focused on “parent empowerment” according to their Republican authors, most of which Gov. Tony Evers has said he is likely to veto. They include AB-995, requiring school districts to provide mandatory in-person instruction and simultaneously allowing parents to opt out of mask requirements for their children; […]
The wheels are off the wagon with GOP elections bills
Wisconsin made the front page of The New York Times on Sunday in an article headlined “Scheme to Reinstall Trump Opens a Schism in Wisconsin GOP.” The state’s election audit, a raft of new voting restrictions pushed forward by Republican leaders of the Legislature, the nation’s only special counsel investigation into the 2020 election and […]
Wisconsin Farmers Union takes on monopolies, lobbies for change
On Monday the Wisconsin Farmers Union released a short film called “Get Loud: The Fight for the Soul of Agriculture.” “The current food system is not serving farmers, laborers in the supply chain, nor consumers. Instead, it’s serving a handful of powerful monopolies,” says WFU Communications Director Danielle Endvick, who appears in the film from […]