Wisconsin Supreme Court

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that an activist group, Wisconsin Voter Alliance, does not have the right to access documents notifying election officials of individuals declared incompetent to vote. The court determined these records are closed under state law to protect privacy, rejecting the group's open records requests and lawsuit. The group, led by Ron Heuer and Erick Kaardal, has been active in election denial efforts since 2020.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a conservative activist's request to release guardianship records to identify ineligible voters, citing privacy protections and state law. The 5-2 decision overturned a lower court's ruling that had ordered Walworth County to disclose the records with redactions. The case, involving Ron Heuer and the Wisconsin Voter Alliance, aimed to cross-check voter registration lists against records of individuals deemed incompetent to vote.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a conservative activist's request to obtain guardianship records to identify ineligible voters, ruling that such records are not public under state law. The 5-2 decision upheld privacy protections, with two justices dissenting. The case, involving Ron Heuer and the Wisconsin Voter Alliance, sought to cross-reference voter registration lists with court records to challenge election integrity.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a conservative activist's request to release guardianship records to identify ineligible voters, citing privacy protections. The 5-2 ruling upheld state law that such records are not public, with liberal justices and one conservative justice disagreeing with a lower court's decision to release redacted records. The case, brought by Ron Heuer and the Wisconsin Voter Alliance, sought to compare voter registration lists with names of individuals deemed ineligible to vote due to guardianship orders.

Paul Florsheim, a retired college professor, is fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin for walking a Lake Michigan shoreline he has used for over 50 years. His legal battle highlights concerns about public access to waterfronts, linked to broader cases like SpaceX's control over a Texas beach and data centers using Great Lakes water.

Four years after the Dobbs decision, abortion access in Wisconsin has rebounded to pre-Dobbs levels, primarily due to the rise of telehealth abortion. Telehealth now accounts for about one-third of abortions in the state, despite Wisconsin law prohibiting it, as shield laws in other states allow providers to serve Wisconsin patients.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down a state grant program designed to support minority students. The decision was reported by journalist Sara Weissman.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the Menominee Indian Tribe's sovereign immunity in a case involving tribal land use restrictions. The Legend Lake Property Owners Association sued the tribe in 2018 to enforce restrictive covenants, but the court ruled in favor of the tribe, citing tribal sovereignty and federal law. The Menominee Tribe had regained federal recognition in 1973 and later reacquired land in the Legend Lake area under federal trust status.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that a state-funded grant program for Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Southeast Asian college students is unconstitutional, citing insufficient evidence of a compelling government interest in diversity. The program, which offered up to $2,500 in financial aid, was terminated after the court aligned with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision against affirmative action, which deemed similar diversity objectives 'not sufficiently coherent.'

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the state must stop awarding race-based retention grants to minority students, citing violations of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. The decision followed a lower court's reversal of a program that provided financial aid to Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Southeast Asian immigrant-descended students to prevent college dropout, aligning with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 SFFA v. Harvard ruling against race-conscious admissions.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to hear a second challenge to the state’s congressional maps, with Bothfield v. Wisconsin Elections Commission arguing the districts are illegally gerrymandered. The court’s liberal majority faced criticism from conservative justices Rebecca Bradley and Annette Ziegler, who accused the court of political bias. The cases will not be resolved in time to affect the November midterms.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court voted to establish a committee to study and assess the state’s recusal rules for judges and justices, following a public hearing and open conference on a petition from retired judges. The existing rules, adopted in 2010 and influenced by lobbying groups Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and Wisconsin Realtors Association, have faced criticism over conflicts of interest in high-profile cases. Conservative justices, including Rebecca Bradley and Brian Hagedorn, expressed skepticism about the committee’s effectiveness, while retired Judge Richard Niess emphasized the need for a thorough evaluation of potential reforms.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit challenging the state’s congressional maps, alleging they are anti-competitive gerrymandered to protect incumbents. The decision reflects the court’s partisan split, with four liberal justices accepting the case while two conservative justices accused the majority of political bias. The case, brought by a bipartisan business group, argues that the maps violate a 2011 state law and may not conclude in time to alter the maps for the November midterms.

James Troupis, an attorney for President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign, faces felony forgery charges for his role in a false elector scheme linked to the Jan. 6 attack. He has requested $3.2 million from Trump’s 'anti-weaponization' fund, citing financial and personal losses from ongoing legal battles.

Clark County Circuit Court Judge Lyndsey Brunette announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, becoming the first candidate to do so. Her announcement follows a recent election for another high court seat in Wisconsin.

The article discusses a live political analysis show hosted by Whole Hog Politics, focusing on Vance's Hungarian gambit and a past Republican effort to influence Wisconsin's Supreme Court. It mentions Elon Musk's involvement in a previous political strategy.

Chris Taylor, a liberal Wisconsin judge, won a Supreme Court seat, expanding the liberal majority to 5-2. This follows a trend of Democratic victories in special elections, indicating a challenging environment for Republicans ahead of the midterms.