Author: Scott Bauer

Liberals argued in a legal filing that Republicans were trying to nullify the election of a Democratic-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court justice by asking her to recuse herself from hearing redistricting lawsuits that could result in drawing new legislative electoral maps. Attorneys in two separate redistricting cases filed arguments on August 29 objecting to the Republican-controlled Legislature’s request that Justice Janet Protasiewicz recuse herself. They argued that there was no legal or ethical obligation for Protasiewicz to step aside, despite her comments during the campaign that she thinks the current maps are “rigged” or because she accepted nearly $10 million...

Even before the newly elected justice who gave liberals a one-seat majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has heard a case, Republican lawmakers have been making threats to take the unprecedented step of impeaching and removing her from office. And because of gerrymandering, they have the votes to do it. Republicans worry that the legislative districts they drew 12 years ago, which are widely viewed as among the most gerrymandered in the country, will be undone in one of the court’s first actions under liberal control. Several groups that support Democracy brought two lawsuits in the first week of...

Wisconsin Republicans still reeling from an April election that saw conservatives lose majority control of the state Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years hope to use their upcoming state convention to unify and refocus on the 2024 presidential race in which Wisconsin will once again be a battleground. Democrats, recognizing that four of the past six presidential elections in the state have been decided by less than a percentage point, are trying not to become overconfident in the face of recent gains. They are gathering for their annual state convention starting June 10 in Green Bay....

Not reaching a deal on a massive bill increasing state aid to Wisconsin’s local governments will only increase the chances that Milwaukee runs out of money, forcing deep cuts to police and fire protection, while smaller communities around the state will also struggle to pay bills, state lawmakers were warned on May 23. The urgent warnings came as Republican leaders who control the Senate and Assembly disagree on a key part of the plan — who determines whether the Milwaukee city and county can raise the local sales tax to pay for pension costs and emergency services. That disagreement...

Governor Tony Evers promised on May 4 to veto a wide-ranging Republican plan to bolster aid to local governments, saying the measure moving rapidly through the GOP-controlled Legislature does not give enough unrestricted money to communities struggling to pay for police, fire, and other services. Republican authors of the bill said at a hearing on May 4 they remained open to making changes, with Sen. Mary Felzkowski downplaying Evers’ veto threat as “part of the sausage making.” Echoing that, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he remained optimistic, despite the veto threat, that Evers, Republicans, local leaders and others involved...

Fourteen-year-olds in Wisconsin could serve alcohol to seated customers in bars and restaurants under a bill circulated for cosponsors on May 1 by a pair of Republican state lawmakers. Under current law, only workers age 18 and above can serve alcohol to customers in Wisconsin. The bill would broaden that to workers ages 14 to 17. They could only serve to seated customers, not drinkers who are at the bar itself. The current age limit on serving alcohol “causes workforce issues due to an establishment’s underage employees only being able to do part of their job,” the bill sponsors...