Hamilton's blog

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has issued its decision in Johnson v. Cintas Corp. No. 2, et al., 2012 WI 31, which is the latest in a number of recent cases accepted by the Court dealing with default judgments. (Oral arguments can be viewed on WisconsinEye.)

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has been in the news lately, not for its opinions, but for its inner workings and interpersonal conflicts. Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Janine Geske and Jon Wilcox were recent guests on Wisconsin Eye’s Legally Speaking, where they offered their opinions on many issues facing the courts. Current Justice Michael Gableman published an article in the latest issue of Wisconsin Policy Research Institute’s Wisconsin Interest providing his opinions on many of the same issues.

The Department of Health Services is holding public meetings to solicit comments on a draft proposal for Virtual PACE, a program to integrate the care for people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

The electoral districts that will be in place for the next 10 years will soon be finalized by a panel of federal judges.

Earlier this year, two different Dane County circuit court judges issued injunctions against the new voter ID law. The Attorney General appealed those decisions, and on March 28, those appeals were certified directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

The Second District Court of Appeals said that because the lawsuits raise significant legal issues that affect the essential functions of the state, and because quick resolution is essential, the Supreme Court should take the cases. The Fourth District Appeals Court agreed that it would be desirable from a legal and practical standpoint to consolidate the cases and send them both to the Supreme Court. Four of the Supreme Court's seven justices must agree to accept the cases.