Today, a circuit court in Wisconsin invalidated Governor Scott Walker’s signature piece of legislation: an immensely unpopular bill that removed nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers. After weeks of protests, the state Senate – illegally, according to the court’s decision – called a special committee meeting to amend the bill with only two hours advance notice and in a location that was not open and accessible to members of the public, in violation of a Wisconsin’s open meetings law, which requires 24 hours notice.
According to People For the American Way president Michael Keegan, efforts by the extreme Right Wing to deny basic rights to American workers have already been rebuked by the public on the merits, and today’s opinion rejects the GOP’s illegal tactics:
“Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin – who were elected to represent the people – are so deeply aligned with corporate special interests that they were willing to break the law to enact their wish list as quickly as possible. Today’s ruling is confirmation that their actions were not just unpopular, but illegal. If the ongoing recall elections are any indication, Wisconsin citizens aren’t willing to stand for this sort of abuse of power. Working families shouldn’t be asked to bear the burden of further tax cuts for the rich and powerful. This ruling is a very positive step towards restoring fairness in Wisconsin.”
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