Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar has announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Rebecca Bradley in 2026. Lazar, a former Waukesha County judge and assistant attorney general, emphasized her record as an independent and impartial jurist while criticizing the influence of partisan politics on the courts. She will likely […]
Gov. Evers Files Lawsuit Over Rulemaking Dispute with Legislature
Date Thu, Sep. 18, 2025 - 2:12pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers has filed a lawsuit against the Republican-controlled Legislature, asking a court to enforce recent Wisconsin Supreme Court rulings on administrative rulemaking. On July 8, the Court, in a 4–3 decision, struck down key legislative powers over rulemaking. Previously, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) could block, suspend, or permanently […]
Separation of Powers and Rulemaking Dispute Continues
Date Thu, Aug. 28, 2025 - 10:02am By Hamilton
A July 8 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling reshaped the balance of power between the governor and the Legislature over administrative rulemaking. In a 4–3 decision, the Court struck down the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules’ (JCRAR) authority to block or suspend rules, calling it an unconstitutional legislative veto. Going forward, lawmakers can only […]
Justice Susan Crawford Sworn To Become New Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice
Date Thu, Aug. 14, 2025 - 3:02pm By Hamilton
On August 1, 2025, Susan M. Crawford officially began her term as a Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, succeeding retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Crawford previously served as a judge in Dane County’s Circuit Court, a position she held from August 1, 2018, to July 31, 2025. Crawford, a judicial liberal, was elected on […]
After Evers v. Marklein Decision, Wisconsin’s Updated Building Code Takes Effect
Date Thu, Aug. 14, 2025 - 3:01pm By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s first major upgrade to its Commercial Building Code in more than a decade takes effect Sept. 1, 2025, adopting 2021 International Building Code standards with state-specific adjustments. The update applies to commercial and multi-family residential buildings. The change follows a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in Evers v. Marklein that struck down as unconstitutional key […]
New Congressional Map Challenge Filed
Date Thu, Jul. 17, 2025 - 1:04pm By Hamilton
In June 2025 a unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear two lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s congressional boundaries and seeking to redraw the map before the 2026 midterms. Both cases asked the court to take original jurisdiction, that is, they were filed directly with the court without first working their way through lower courts. The decision […]
Supreme Court Issues Rulings on Several Cases
Date Thu, Jul. 3, 2025 - 8:34am By Hamilton
Supreme Court Strikes Down Partial Veto of Non-Appropriation Bill June 25, 2025, a unanimous Supreme Court of Wisconsin struck down Gov. Evers’ use of partial vetoes in literacy-related legislation, with Republicans arguing the vetoes were unconstitutional because the bill wasn’t a true appropriations bill and therefore not subject to a partial veto under the […]
SCOWIS Sides With AG on Power to Settle Civil Cases
Date Fri, Jun. 20, 2025 - 9:12am By Hamilton
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin unanimously ruled this week that the Wisconsin Legislature cannot prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) from settling civil cases without the approval of the Joint Committee on Finance. In the fall of 2018, the legislature passed and former Gov. Walker (R) signed legislation into law requiring the legislature’s budget-writing committee […]
Congressional Districts Challenged
Date Thu, May. 22, 2025 - 4:06pm By Hamilton
Two lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s congressional boundaries have been filed, asking the Supreme Court of Wisconsin to declare the state’s congressional district map unconstitutional and to redraw the map before the 2026 midterms. Wisconsin is currently represented in the U.S. House by six Republicans and two Democrats. The lawsuit seeks to bypass lower courts and to […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds “400-Year” Veto
Date Thu, Apr. 17, 2025 - 3:06pm By Hamilton
Friday, April 18, the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision upheld Gov. Tony Evers’ 2023 partial veto that extended annual school funding increases until the year 2425 by striking numerals and punctuation in the budget bill. The GOP-controlled legislature had passed a two-year increase in schools aids. Gov. Evers used his partial veto authority to, […]