A Wisconsin judge ruled late yesterday that the temporary restraining order is still in force for the law that guts collective bargaining for public employees—despite Gov. Scott Walker’s defiance of the judge’s initial ruling. On Friday, Walker published the law, and Republican state lawmakers said that with its publication, the bill went into effect. This from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi said the actions of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his cronies put them “in peril of sanctions” and served to “jeopardize stability of [the] state.” Sumi ruled that the temporary restraining order is still in effect and barred any and all implementation of the bill harming Wisconsin families.
The court room was full of twist and turns as Secretary of State Doug La Follette was given the right to independent counsel and it was revealed that the Legislative Reference Bureau was pressured into publishing the law by Sen. Fitzgerald. Testimony will resume Friday when the hearing is scheduled to conclude.
“Gov. Walker seems to think he’s a dictator who can ignore the laws of Wisconsin or trample of the rights of our workers in pursuit of his extreme overreach for absolute power,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. “By attempting to unilaterally publish a bill and implement it as law in the face of a court order to the contrary shows Walker and his cronies completely unfit to govern the state of Wisconsin.”
La Follette explained the situation in detail last night on “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Watch it.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
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