Dane County District Judge Maryann Sumi granted the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit filed by the local Democratic district attorney alleging that Republican lawmakers violated the state's open meetings law by hastily convening a special committee before the Senate passed the bill.
Sumi said her ruling would not prevent the Legislature from reconvening the committee with proper notice and passing the bill again.
But Walker's spokesman and Republican legislative leaders indicated they would press on with the court battle rather than consider passing the bill again.
"We fully expect an appeals court will find that the Legislature followed the law perfectly and likely find that today's ruling was a significant overreach," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and his brother, Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, said in a joint statement. "We highly doubt a Dane County judge has the authority to tell the Legislature how to carry out its constitutional duty."
Well that appears to be the line in the sand folks.
The Republicans realize they have little chance of going back and passing the law again, so they are going to have to fight it out in court. Let's hope that Lady Justice decides to peek out from under her blindfold just a little to ensure that the law protects those that deserve protection and not those with the most money to spend.
Just watch. The Judge will get slammed because she's a woman!
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't the numb n*tted Repugs pass the bill again? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteThe Fitzgerald boys aren't even in Wisconsin, they are in DC at a fund raising event.
ReplyDeletehttp://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/john_nichols/article_c71178cc-747e-5859-954b-9be111544455.html
From your mouth (er, pen, er, keyboard) to God's ears! This egregious law should also be challenged for Constitutionality, but this is a good start. If it can be thrown out on procedural grounds, let's see them try it again. Best news I've heard in weeks.
ReplyDelete~physicsmom
Make shit up as they go along (ignore any laws that get in their way).
ReplyDeleteDraw the line in the sand.
Question the authority of the court.
Don't get the decisions they like? Arrest the Judge? Fire The Judge? Wingnut tantrum. Ask Beck and Limbaugh for help so it can be on Beck's conspiracy list.
This sounds like something Sarah or Joe Arpaio might say:
"We highly doubt a Dane County judge has the authority to tell the Legislature how to carry out its constitutional duty."
So, the GOP thinks that ONLY the Governor, and the Legislature have the right to enact laws BUT, these same ASS Clowns are using the courts to stop Health Care Reform!
ReplyDeleteWhat a bunch of whiners.
A copy of Judge Sumi's order can be found here:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/5wwuadz
(.pdf file)
Makes for kind of enjoyable reading. (Or I enjoyed it, but then I joined in the "storming of the castle" after the probably illegal meeting last Wednesday night and was fully prepared to stay overnight in the rotunda or be arrested trying if needed.) The Order is thoughtful, well written, and doesn't leave much wiggle room although, I understand that the State intends to appeal early next week.
I think that Fitz is just pissed off because he keeps getting caught at trying to pull off illegal acts. In the meantime, the recall efforts to recall the 8 GOP senators eligible for recall are going quite well.
@London Bridges ... they certainly could TRY to pass the bill again, but the state Republicans are also realizing that the efforts to recall so many of them is gaining some serious traction. (And there were several who were noted to be 'on the fence' a mere 24 hours before the bill was forced on them.)
This judge has more balls than all of those men put together. I hope they don't run a nasty smear on her or anything worse. You never know with these hateful fools.
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