Criminal Justice
Milwaukee PD’s new tow policy for reckless driving coming May 1
This year, the month of May will bring with it a new phase in the city of Milwaukee’s efforts to curb reckless driving. A newly minted policy, which will take effect on May 1st, will allow unregistered vehicles linked with reckless driving to be towed by the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). Reckless driving in the […]
Activists mobilize opposition to looser gun laws, back Evers vetoes
Activists seeking to curb gun violence believe that gun-related bills that Republican lawmakers passed and Gov. Tony Evers vetoed should become important campaign issues next fall — against the GOP lawmakers who passed them and in support of Evers’ re-election. “We don’t want to get rid of guns — we just want people to use […]
Right wing judge elected to District II Appeals Court, solidifying conservative majority
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Maria Lazar was elected to the District II Court of Appeals on Tuesday. The conservative Lazar’s win solidifies a 3-1 conservative majority on the court, which decides appeals for the 12-county district that covers southeastern Wisconsin from Kenosha County to Sheboygan County, excluding Milwaukee County. Lazar defeated incumbent Judge Lori […]
Jackson wins 3 GOP votes as U.S. Senate advances her Supreme Court nomination
The U.S. Senate advanced Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic Supreme Court nomination in a 53-47 procedural vote Monday evening, hours after the Judiciary Committee deadlocked along party lines. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah voted with all 50 Senate Democrats on the procedural vote Monday. The […]
Evers vetoes ‘Riot Bill,’ says it duplicates existing law and could criminalize nonviolent protest
Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed the so-called Riot Bill that passed the state Legislature on party lines, saying that the measure duplicated existing law and that it also could be used to infringe on the First Amendment rights of peaceful protesters. Senate Bill 296 created a definition of “riot” and would have authorized criminal charges […]
Wisconsin’s Court of Appeals elections continue trend of increasing partisanship
The race for a seat on Wisconsin’s District II Court of Appeals has descended into partisan sniping in campaign ads, drawn the attention of out-of-state political action committees (PACs), and one candidate has received donations from some of the state’s most prominent conservative donors. Elections to Wisconsin’s courts of appeal, historically sleepy and under-the-radar affairs, […]
Poor People’s Campaign mobilization tour draws hundreds to Madison
Hundreds gathered in Madison Monday in a day of action and reflection as the Poor People’s Campaign builds momentum toward its Moral March on Washington D.C. this summer. What the campaign’s organizers called “a new and unsettling force” assembled in the Capitol, many having traveled from parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, and […]
Ex-incarcerated people hold empathy and action day in Capitol
Activists from Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) and legislators gathered under the same roof Tuesday for a day of action and empathy. In the Capitol Building, activists learned about approaching elected officials about issues of incarceration in the state. The event took place as Republican elected officials continue pushing hard-line policies which many fear will only […]
Kaul criticizes Republicans’ ‘anti-democratic’ actions in virtual event
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, in a virtual event on Wednesday, criticized a number of actions taken by the state’s Republicans over the past few years as anti-democratic and a purposeful thwarting of the will of Wisconsin’s voters. Kaul appeared Wednesday at a Wispolitics virtual luncheon in which he discussed legal issues such as public […]
Kenosha’s healing process and school board races shaken up by off-duty cop incident
The Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) has been upended following an incident earlier this month in which an off-duty Kenosha Police officer, serving as a security guard, put his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl as he tried to break up a fight. The incident has thrown a wrench in the community’s attempt […]
How inequitable policies shape Milwaukee’s homicide rate
“It makes me sad and upset as I talk about it,” says Camille Mays. Mays is a violence prevention advocate and founder of the Peace Garden Project MKE. The last eight years have been a bittersweet tapestry of triumph and loss in Milwaukee’s struggle against gun violence. Until 2020, Mays saw first-hand how a growing […]
Questions arise in court about what happened to Jay Anderson’s phones after 2016 shooting
A decision in the ongoing John Doe case involving the killing of Jay Anderson Jr. in 2016 is expected within weeks, special prosecutors said in court Friday. However, questions continue to linger about evidence collected by police after Anderson was shot by former Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah. Mensah is now employed as a detective by […]