Breaking: WI Supreme Court Rules Collective Bargaining Can be Gutted

by Tula Connell, Jun 14, 2011

According to WisPolitics.com,the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision, threw out a lower court ruling invalidating the collective bargaining law passed by the Republican-led Legislature and pushed by Gov. Scott Walker (R).

The decision had not yet been posted at the court’s site by late this afternoon. But a posting at the court’s site for the appeal described an order in which Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi’s orders in the case are vacated and declared void.

“The court has ruled Walker and the legislature can do whatever they want, however they want, with no regard for the rule of law.”

The brief description on the court site said the court concluded the Legislature did not violate a provision in the Wisconsin Constitution that the doors of each house shall be open except when public welfare requires secrecy. During oral arguments last week, there were a series of questions about public access to a conference committee meeting in which lawmakers took up the legislation. That meeting was the basis of the open meetings violation Sumi found in invalidating the law.

In her dissent, Justice Abrahamson says it is ridiculous the court would decide to take the case and decide it on the same day. A reasoned decision is the cornerstone of democracy, and the court simply didn’t take the time to address all the substantive matters of the case.

In short, the court has ruled Walker and the legislature can do whatever they want, however they want, with no regard for the rule of law.