Author: Wisconsin Examiner

Just weeks after the 2022 midterm elections, Wisconsin is already moving on to this spring’s state supreme court race in which the ideological tilt of the court is up for grabs. Justice Patience Roggensack is retiring at the end of her term, leaving an open seat on the body that conservatives currently control with a 4-3 majority. The current makeup of the court, with conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn serving as a crucial swing vote, has led to more 4-3 decisions than any supreme court term in 70 years. The conservative majority on the court has upheld a law that...

The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on October 31 questioned the legality of race-conscious policies in college admissions, as the justices weighed two cases that could upend the admissions process many colleges use to try to boost diversity on campus. At issue are two cases that challenge the lawfulness of affirmative action at Harvard University, the nation’s oldest private university, and the University of North Carolina, one of its oldest public universities. Depending on the scope of the court’s ruling, the outcome of these lawsuits could affect admissions at hundreds of colleges and universities across the country and even...

The power Latino voters could demonstrate in the November 8 midterm elections was the topic of a panel discussion at a Milwaukee Press Club on October 26. The subject is a complex. Increasing economic prosperity, immigration reform and access to education are issues that continue to motivate Latino communities in Milwaukee. Yet there is also what some panelists called “the myth of the monolithic Latino voter.” A reductionist idea that casts one of the city’s most influential voting blocks in a one dimensional light. For panelist Paru Shah, an associate professor of political science at UW-Milwaukee, the complexity of...

Across the nation, prison commissaries are raising prices on items that many consider basic necessities, from deodorant to fresh fruit, not provided by the state department of corrections. The markups come as decades-high inflation is also squeezing inmates’ families, making it harder for them to help. It is a burden that families should not have to shoulder, advocates say, and a situation that some worry will lead to unrest or violence. Wanda Bertram, communications strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, a think tank focused on policies in the criminal justice and legal system, said that by forcing prisoners and...

As lawmakers begin envisioning the next farm bill, some U.S. House Republicans are wary of making climate change a priority for farmers and ranchers. The pushback from Republicans at a September 20 hearing came as the Biden administration has tried to make significant new investments in climate change mitigation on farmland, last week announcing 70 pilot projects to support climate-friendly food production. Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set policy and funding for agriculture, conservation and nutrition programs. The next farm bill is due in 2023, and some environmental groups are eyeing it as...