Wisconsin Right Now

Milwaukee’s superintendent could soon be out of a job. The city’s school board will meet late Monday afternoon to discuss Superintendent Keith Posley’s future. The meeting comes after Milwaukee parents' blowback over proposed budget cuts, the state's threat to withhold millions of dollars in school aid, and activists in the city's demand for “accountability.” “These are serious violations that directly call into question MPS’ financial stewardship of taxpayer dollars. We are dismayed, though not surprised, that our concerns have been proven well-founded – and we repeat our calls that Milwaukee cannot afford for business as usual to continue at MPS,” City Forward Collective Executive Director Colleston Morgan Jr. said Friday. Posley has not answered questions about how MPS missed last year’s deadline for two state-required financial reports. Last week, Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction threatened to withhold $15 million in general state and special edu...

The Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections and the Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections and Consumer Protection held a hearing Thursday with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, some local election clerks and Fond du Lac County’s district attorney. “We're not trying to get anybody into a bad spot here, or in a corner, or make accusations on that level,” Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, said. “We want our clerks, who are already stressed enough, to know that we are here to be there as an assist to them.” Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, said he wants to make sure voters have faith in Wisconsin’s electoral process. “This is one of the topics that hit our inboxes quite a bit the last three months or so,” Krug added. “We thought it’s pretty important just to vet it out, to get all the information out to the public.” The Wisconsin Elections Commission was invited to Thursday’s meeting but didn’t attend because commissioners were having a meeting of their own. Bu...

On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted to override nine vetoes from Gov. Tony Evers, including the vetoes that scuttled PFAS clean-up money, millions of dollars that were earmarked for hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls and a plan that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to work more independently. “The legislature has passed hundreds of bills to solve problems facing Wisconsin businesses and families. Most of these bills were signed into law, but many were vetoed by a governor more focused on politics than policies that help everyday Wisconsinites,” Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said Tuesday. “Overriding the governor’s obstructive vetoes is the last, best way to address these critical issues.” The override votes came one day after Evers sued the legislature over nearly $200 million that is attached to some of his vetoes. Most of that money is the $125 million that’s supposed to go toward PFAS clean up in Wisconsin. “For the f...

  Six months before Election Day, Milwaukee’s mayor has made a change at the top of his city’s elections commission. Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Monday announced Paulina Gutiérrez as the new executive director of Milwaukee’s Election Commission. “Paulina’s integrity and capabilities are ideally suited to this position. She will lead the office at an important juncture when public scrutiny of the work of the department will be extremely high,” Johnson said in a statement. “I have confidence in her, and I will make certain the department has the resources it needs to fulfill its duties.” Johnson’s statement was silent on the fact Gutiérrez’s promotion means the former head of the commission, Claire Woodall, is being replaced. The mayor told WISN TV that Woodall was offered a different position at the city, but he added that she apparently doesn’t want that job "as it stands right now." Johnson also said the decision to make the change has more to do with the latest ...

Wisconsin’s Democrat leadership continued its push for ballot drop boxes as Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a response brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court to allow them. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers filed a brief in early April looking overturn a ruling from 2022 that said ballot drop boxes are not allowed under state law. Kaul wrote that, by spring 2021, 570 drop boxes were placed across 66 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the share of Wisconsin voters casting an absentee ballot increased from 6% to 30% from 2002 to 2022. Kaul argued Wisconsin law does not prohibit drop boxes. “Voting should be safe, secure and accessible — and drop boxes are,” Kaul said in a statement . “Unfortunately, the use of drop boxes has been swept into the broader and baseless attacks on our elections and our democracy. “Through our filing, we’re arguing that Wisconsin law does not prohibit the use of drop boxes, and that clerks should be able to determine whether to offer this convenient method o...

A Northwoods’ congressman says he has the science on his side in the debate over what to do about the gray wolf. Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany got his plan to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list through the House. It was a close vote, just 209 to 205, and the plan faces a dim future in the U.S. Senate. Still, Tiffany said there’s more than enough evidence that the gray wolf population is large enough to remove it from the protected list. “The science is clear; the gray wolf has met and exceeded recovery goals,” Tiffany said in a statement. “[This vote] represents an important first step towards restoring local control over the skyrocketing gray wolf population in Wisconsin.” Tiffany said there have been plenty of attacks on dogs, deer and cattle in Wisconsin that prove his point. Keith Mark, founder and CEO of Hunter Nation, said the proposal to de-list the gray wolf should get a vote in the Senate. “Wildlife should not be a partisan issue. Unmanaged w...

Wisconsin’s pro-life groups are unified in telling the Wisconsin Supreme Court it is not the court’s job to create a right to abortion. Wisconsin Right to Life, Wisconsin Family Action and Pro-Life Wisconsin all filed a joint brief with the court that argues there is no right to abortion and add that if there is to be one, that decision is up to lawmakers. “The Supreme Court is not the proper venue to create health and safety law nor the proper mechanism to add a constitutional amendment. The legislature is the proper body to weigh the policy considerations and create law, not the court,” Wisconsin Family Action president Christine File said. “Finding a right to abortion in our state constitution, where there clearly is none, would be the most extreme form of legislating from the bench,” Dan Miller, state director at Pro-Life Wisconsin, said. “The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled in Dobbs that there is no federal constitutional right to abortion. Nothing in Wisconsin’s cons...

Another local prosecutor declined to bring charges against a Republican state lawmaker in a campaign funding raising case. Waukesha County’s District Attorney Sue Opper said she would not file charges against state Rep. Janel Brandtjen. But Opper said she is not clearing Brandtjen in the case. “I am simply concluding that I cannot prove charges against her. While the intercepted communications, such as audio recordings may be compelling in the court of public opinion, they are not in a court of law,” Opper said. Wisconsin’s Ethics Commission suggested charges against Brandtjen and a handful of others in a case that investigators say saw them move money around to allegedly skirt Wisconsin’s limits on campaign donations. Opper said the Ethics Commission investigation was based on “reasonable suspicion and then probable cause.” But she added that those “burdens are substantially lower than proof beyond a reasonable doubt which is necessary for a criminal conviction.” Opper sai...

Judge Brad Schmiel says he’s not going to repeat the mistakes of the last Wisconsin supreme court race. Schimel told News Talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber he isn’t going to politicize the race like liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz, and he’s not going to ignore his campaign like former conservative Justice Dan Kelly. Schimel said he can run for the court next year without injecting Republican politics into the court. “I've had plenty of people on our side that suggested, ‘Brad, you just got to do the same.’ No. I cannot do that,” Schimel said. “We still have to respect the rule of law. We still have to respect the Constitution. We still have to respect judicial ethics. I'm not going to go out and promise people what I'm going to do. But I will promise people that they can look at my record, and they know that I've done the right thing. That I have put the law above politics. I put the law above my own personal opinions.” Republicans roundly criticized Protasiewicz ...

One of the biggest critics of Wisconsin’s election administrator says no one should be threatening her and says threats don’t help fix election integrity issues. State Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, on Tuesday, offered her thoughts after the Wisconsin Elections Commission confirmed elections administrator Meagan Wolfe is receiving extra security protection. "Threatening Administrator Meagan Wolfe, or any election official, is unacceptable and counterproductive. Venting frustrations on individuals like Wolfe, clerks, or poll workers is not only illegal but also harmful to rebuilding trust in our elections,” Brandtjen said. “Threats only undermine our republic and empower the courts and media. It's essential to address any concerns about election processes through legal channels. Threats have no place in our democracy.” Brandtjen has been one of Wisconsin’s loudest critics of Wolfe. She led hearings as far back as 2021 into Wolfe’s role in the 2020 election. Br...

There is now a legal challenge to Gov. Tony Evers’ 400-year school funding veto. The WMC Litigation Center on Monday asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take up their challenge to the governor’s summer veto that increased per-pupil funding for the next four centuries. “At issue is Gov. Evers’ use of the so-called ‘Vanna White’ or ‘pick-a-letter’ veto,” the group said in a statement. “The governor creatively eliminated specific numbers in a portion of the budget bill that was meant to increase the property tax levy limit for school districts in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal years. By striking individual digits, the levy limit would instead be increased from the years 2023 to 2425 – or four centuries into the future.” The WMC Litigation Center is an affiliate of Wisconsin Manufactures & Commerce (WMC), the combined state chamber and manufacturers’ association. Litigation Center Executive Director Scott Rosenow said while Wisconsin’s governor has an incredibly powerful vet...

Wisconsin’s next Supreme Court race could be even more contentious and even more expensive than the last one. Liberal Justice Anne Walsh Bradley surprised the state on Thursday when she announced she would not run for re-election next year. "My decision has not come lightly. It is made after careful consideration and reflection. I know I can do the job and do it well. I know I can win re-election, should I run. But it's just time to pass the torch, bring fresh perspectives to the court," Walsh Bradley said in a statement. She is one of Wisconsin’s longest-serving justices, serving her third 10-year term on the court. She wrote, “In the 177-year history of the court, only four justices have served longer than my length of service.” Walsh Bradley’s decision means the next election will be open. Former Republican attorney general, and current Waukesha County judge, Brad Schimel has already jumped into the race. There aren’t any declared Democrats yet. Schimel...

The State Bar of Wisconsin isn’t ending its diversity clerkship that faced a federal discrimination lawsuit, instead it is changing the definition of diversity. The State Bar agreed to tweak the program and make it about the diversity of ideas and experiences, rather than base the clerkship on race and gender. “The settlement clarifies the definition of ‘diversity’ but makes no changes to the program,” State Bar Executive Director Larry Martin said. “The Diversity Clerkship Program, which has been creating opportunities for Wisconsin-based law students for three decades, will continue to exist and to operate in its current form.” The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sued, saying it’s against the law to hire anyone based on race or gender. WILL Associate Counsel Skylar Croy said they have had to make it a habit to remind people of that fact. “Defeating unconstitutional DEI programs has become WILL’s area of expertise, and we are not stopping here,” Croy said in a stat...

Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday vetoed the Republican-backed legislation that would have banned trans athletes from girls sports in the state. “I will veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids, and I will continue to keep my promise of using every power available to me to defend them, protect their rights, and keep them safe,” Evers said in a statement. The legislation would have kept anyone born a male out of girls sports in middle school, high school and at the college level. Republicans approved the plan on a party-line vote. Rep Barb Dittrich, R-Oconjomowoc, was the author. On Tuesday she said Evers turned his back on biological girls, and the vast majority of Wisconsin voters with his veto. “Today, Wisconsin’s governor took a position against federal Title IX and against Wisconsin’s girls in a disgusting veto of the Save Women’s Sports Act that I authored with Sen. [Daniel] Knodl,” Dittrich said. “While...

Wisconsin’s governor is asking the state Supreme Court to allow ballot drop boxes ahead of this November’s election. Gov. Tony Evers filed a brief with the court, asking the new liberal-majority to overturn a ruling from 2022 that said ballot drop boxes are not allowed under state law. “At the very heart of our democracy is the fundamental freedom to vote. In Wisconsin, we must work to protect that freedom and to empower our clerks and election administrators working hard at the local level to make decisions that are right for their communities. Drop box voting is safe and secure, and there is nothing in Wisconsin’s election laws that prohibit our local clerks from using this secure option, absent an incorrect ruling by our courts,” Evers said in a statement. Wisconsin law does not specifically allow for ballot drop boxes anywhere other than the local clerk’s office. The then-conservative-majority court based its ruling that banned ballot drop boxes on that fact. But Evers ...

Voters across Wisconsin said yes to a lot of things on their ballots Tuesday. Both of the state’s proposed constitutional amendments to keep outside money out of election operations passed, and a quarter-billion-dollar tax increase for Milwaukee Public Schools also likely gained approval. The first amendment, which bans so-called “Zuckerbucks,” passed with about 54% of the vote. The second question, which bans outside election workers from working in Wisconsin, passed with about 58% of the vote. Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, said Wisconsin voters made it clear that they want to keep out-of-state billionaires out of their elections. “Whether there is actual election tampering or not, an impression of an injustice is as detrimental to society as an actual injustice. People need policies and procedures that instill confidence in the vote result, even if they don’t like the result. These amendments help create that confidence,” Wimberger said in a statement. The amendments ...

The presidential contest in Wisconsin is all but decided, but voters will have some important choices on their ballots on Tuesday. The spring primary will feature two constitutional amendments, nearly 100 school referendum questions and local races in communities across the state. Constitutional Amendments Wisconsin voters are being asked to ban outside money in the state’s election in a pair of constitutional amendments. The first amendment deals with the so-called Zuckerbucks. Republican lawmakers pushed the proposal through the legislature after Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a state law that would have banned outside charities and non-profits from spending money on election operations. The move comes after the Center for Tech and Civic Life spent about $6 million in Wisconsin during the November 2020 election. Almost all of that money went to the state’s five largest and most Democratic cities. Republican lawmakers have said Zuckerbucks undermine people’s faith in the state’s...

Wisconsin’s newest laws deal with AI-generated porn and new, lifelike child sex dolls. Gov. Tony Evers signed more than two dozen new laws, including bans on child sex dolls and child porn created by artificial intelligence. “We’re working to address the cycle of violence, prevent crime, and keep our schools, streets, and communities safe across Wisconsin,” Evers said in a statement. One of the new laws creates the new crime of possession of virtual child pornography. Prosecutors say the law is needed because even AI-generated images feed into child pornography, and often, the pictures or videos are created based on real images. Another new law bans the sale, possession, manufacture or advertisement of child sex dolls. “Protecting our kids is one of my highest priorities. As technology increases access and availability to new forms of abuse for pedophiles, we have to adjust our laws. We will always take a stand against those looking to prey upon our children,” Sen. Jesse J...

Republicans’ advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives will be only 217-213 after April 19, following Friday’s decision by U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher to resign. The resignation means no more than one Republican can cross the aisle on party-line votes. Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District representative, just 31 when he first won his seat in November 2016, had already said he would not seek a fifth term this election cycle. The timing is such that, by state law, his successor will come during the general election Nov. 5. That contest, in a strong Republican area, matches state Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, and former Democratic state Sen. Roger Roth. In a statement, Gallagher said, “Four terms serving Northeast Wisconsin in Congress has been the honor of a lifetime and strengthened my conviction that America is the greatest country in the history of the world.” Gallagher was a Marine intelligence officer from 2006-13, twice deployed to Iraq. Gallagher’s statement gave...

Milwaukee’s deputy director at the Election Commission in October 2022 has been found guilty of election fraud. Wednesday’s jury decision involving Kimberly Zapata at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court could be foretelling for another involving a man in Racine. In each case, those charged requested and received ballots using fake information. Sentencing for Zapata – guilty of a single felony count of misconduct in public office, and three misdemeanor counts of election fraud – is scheduled May 2. The penalty could mean five years in jail. Harry Wait, in Racine, could get 13 years of prison time. He awaits trial facing two felony charges of identity theft and two misdemeanor charges of election fraud. He is accused of using the names of legislators and local officials to get absentee ballots this past July. Prosecutors say Zapata used a work-issued laptop when successfully requesting three military absentee ballots. She then sent them to Republican state Rep. Janel Brandtjen t...