Briefs
Dane County judge says Gableman has ‘run amok’
A Dane County judge said on Thursday that the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice conducting a partisan review of the 2020 presidential election has “run amok” and “gone rogue” as he continues to disregard the state’s open records laws. In a hearing on Thursday, Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn was exasperated as an attorney for Assembly Speaker […]
Nationwide bird flu outbreak leads to online conspiracies
A nationwide outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has struck Wisconsin poultry farms, backyard chicken coops and wild flocks of birds. Madison’s Henry Vilas Zoo has closed its bird exhibits and more than 3 million birds have been “depopulated,” according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection […]
Voters fight Wisconsin Republican congressmen’s attempt to dismiss lawsuit aiming to bar them from office
A group of voters suing to prevent Sen. Ron Johnson, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua) from holding public office is fighting an effort by the congressmen to dismiss the lawsuit. In March, a group of ten voters filed a lawsuit against Fitzgerald, Johnson and Tiffany for their roles in the attempt […]
Rep. Pocan introduces bill to impose moratorium on large agribusiness mergers
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Black Earth), along with Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), introduced legislation Wednesday that would place an indefinite moratorium on acquisitions and mergers in the food and agricultural industry. The aim of the legislation is to halt growing concentration in agriculture among a few […]
Special needs students disproportionately subjected to seclusion, restraint
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released a report Wednesday documenting incidents of seclusion and physical restraint of students in Wisconsin schools during the 2020-21 school year. The annual report, required under a 2019 state law, shows that public and private Special Needs Scholarship Program schools statewide reported 4,314 instances of seclusion and 4,949 […]
Law Forward files lawsuit against Wisconsin’s fraudulent electors
Progressive legal outfit Law Forward filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the ten Republicans who fraudulently cast electoral votes for Donald Trump in 2020 and the two lawyers who assisted their plan. The lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court with assistance from the Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) […]
Wisconsin ACLU investigating activist’s Dane County courtroom arrest
The Wisconsin ACLU is investigating the arrest of an activist outside of a Dane County courtroom earlier this month with the organization’s president saying it was “undoubtedly an unconstitutional violation.” Jessica Williams, an employee of the racial justice non-profit Freedom Inc., was arrested on May 6. Williams was attending a sentencing hearing for Kenyairra Gadson, […]
UCLA Law dean named next chancellor of UW-Madison
The dean of the University of California, Los Angeles law school, Dr. Jennifer Mnookin, was chosen by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to be the next chancellor of UW-Madison. Mnookin has led the UCLA law school since 2015. She was unanimously approved to be the 30th leader of UW-Madison, replacing the outgoing […]
Evers orders flags lowered to half-staff to honor Hmong-Lao Veterans Day
Gov. Tony Evers ordered the U.S. and Wisconsin flags to be flown at half-staff on Saturday to honor Hmong-Lao Veterans Day. Last year, Evers signed a bill designating May 14 to honor the Hmong-Lao people, many of whom fought with the U.S. during the Vietnam War. May 14 is the 47th anniversary of the last […]
Where collective bargaining and politics fit into prison staff shortages
Myriad factors are fueling staffing shortages within correctional facilities, as Wisconsin Examiner recently reported. These include working conditions faced by many jail and prison staff and mass incarceration, which has far outpaced the hiring of new staff. Sean Daley, a business agent and member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) […]
Wisconsin Examiner wins multiple Milwaukee Press Club Awards
The Wisconsin Examiner won six Milwaukee Press Club awards for excellence in journalism for stories published in 2021. The winners, which were announced at the club’s Gridiron Awards dinner at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee on May 6 included: Silver Award: Best Pandemic Story that Appeared Online: Erik Gunn “Racial and income fault lines over […]
Wisconsin, four other states, file enforcement actions against Russian metaverse scam
The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, along with financial regulators in four other states, simultaneously filed enforcement actions against a Russian organization on Wednesday for allegedly scamming American residents with fraudulent investments in the metaverse. The metaverse refers to virtual worlds in which internet users can interact through avatars to play, shop and work. The […]