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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Law - "Wisconsin Union Law Battle Has Republicans Facing New Hurdle"

Amazing things happening in Wisconsin and its equivalent to our Legislative Services Agency seems to be in the middle, defying a court order. See the story yesterday here, quoted in the Huffington Post. The relevant parts:

So far Republicans have managed win after win – overcoming massive protests and outmaneuvering Democrats to push their plan through the Legislature, then finding a way to at least temporarily get around a court order that would have kept the explosive union bargaining law from taking effect.

Now they face another court order blocking the law, which would strip most public employees of nearly all their collective bargaining rights. And this time the judge has said there will be consequences for violators.

Still, the matter is far from settled. Republicans haven't said what their next move will be, but it's likely the law's legitimacy will be decided by the state Supreme Court.

Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi chastised state officials Tuesday for ignoring her earlier order to halt the law's publication.

"Apparently that language was either misunderstood or ignored, but what I said was the further implementation of (the law) was enjoined," Sumi said during a hearing. "That is what I now want to make crystal clear."

Republican lawmakers pushed the law through the Legislature earlier this month despite massive protests that drew up to 85,000 people to the state Capitol. After diffusing a Democratic filibuster in the Assembly, Republicans used a parliamentary procedure in the Senate to circumvent a Democratic boycott meant to prevent a vote.

Walker signed the bill on March 11, triggering a number of lawsuits from opponents. Sumi issued a temporary restraining order blocking Secretary of State Doug La Follette from publishing the bill – typically the last step before a law takes effect.

Republicans got around that by having the Legislative Reference Bureau, another state agency, publish the bill on Friday. They declared victory, saying the law went into effect on Saturday.

Sheila Kennedy takes note of this incident in her blog this morning, writing:
In the latest bizarre twist from Wisconsin, the Governor and GOP leadership simply ignored an order of the federal court. The court had issued a stay of the law repealing collective bargaining rights, pending an evidentiary hearing on whether it had been passed in a manner consistent with the state’s open door law. The legislature could have abided by the order, or it could have held another vote, after proper notice. Instead, those in charge decided to thumb their noses at a court order.
The blog entry is headed "Abuses of Power" and begins:
For the past couple of months, I have been watching the political shenanigans in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Maine and elsewhere with increasing disbelief, trying to figure out what has prompted such disdain for civility, democratic process and individual rights.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 31, 2011 09:53 AM
Posted to General Law Related