D.A.: Walker's Stealthy Vote Broke Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law

[White Eagle]

There is a more complete video of that vote that Walker and the Repugs made to break the open meetings law. They obviously ignored the Dem Senator trying to stop the vote. Remarkable!!

http://www.alternet.org/newsandview...oke_wisconsin's_open_meetings_law/#paragraph4

D.A.: Walker's Stealthy Vote Broke Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law

The Cap Times of Madison, Wisconsin reports:

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne charged state Senate Republicans Wednesday with open meetings law violations in connection with a controversial move they made to pass legislation to curtail public sector union bargaining rights.

 

[BostonPirate]

I was wondering what took that so long to happen. And that D.A. is a republican right?

 

[jayoTN]

It looks as though the potential recall of GOP senators could very well tip the balance of power in the state senate.

The GOP currently holds 19 seats and the Democratic minority has 14. In order to have a majority, a total of 17 seats is needed. According to a recent poll commissioned by Daily Kos, five of the eight GOP senators subject to a recall trail behind a generic Democratic opponent. The Democrats would need only thee seats to change hands in order to retake control of the chamber.

If the recalls take place (probably sometime in May) and control of the Senate changes hands, coupled with the law being struck down as unconstitutional, the Wisconsin Democrats could accomplish their ultimate goal of killing the law and severely hamper the Walker administration's agenda.

Gov. Walker himself and the remaining 11 GOP state senators would be subject to a recall beginning in January 2012, as Wisconsin law requires an office holder to serve one year before he or she can be recalled.

 

[BostonPirate]

And that recall will be tacked onto the nov 2012 elections. It is going to motivate the labor base and the end result of the union busting will be a reversal of the illegal moves, a republican state will be in the hands of the Democrats, and the teaparty will receive its first slapdown by the american voters.

Let them continue on their course of "no compromise" and legislative obstruction.

It will only sour the country further towards the GOP

 

[smakelijkus]

I was wondering what took that so long to happen. And that D.A. is a republican right?

Nope, a Democrat. Dane County DA.

 

[Kulindahr]

That video is astounding. If anyone in this forum wonders why people are so down on Republicans, they should watch this video where not a single Republican was interested in upholding the law of the state.

Of course we won't hear a peep out of the national Republican leadership, condemning this, which will demonstrate that the GOP has no respect for law, only for power. They're just like cops who kick someone when no one else is around, just because they can.

 

[rareboy]

Well. It will be fun to watch this work its way through the courts.

 

[BostonPirate]

Well. It will be fun to watch this work its way through the courts.

It will be fast tracked to the supreme court of Wisconsin, I am sure.

lets see what that looks like...

The court is composed of seven justices who are elected in state-wide, non-partisan elections. Each justice is elected for a ten-year term, and only one justice may be elected in any year. In the event of a vacancy on the court, the governor has the power to appoint an individual to the vacancy, but that justice must then stand for election in the first year where no other justice's term expires.

one seat is empty and the governor is filling it right now with his kangaroo court senate.

they do not have a history as a clean court....

The Court has ruled that business groups making donations to the election campaigns of justices may have cases affecting their companies decided on by a justice who received a donation from the party involved. The rule was proposed by two powerful Wisconsin business groups, the Wisconsin Realtors Association and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. This ruling has been controversial.[2]. The vote was 4-3 Voting in favor of Justices receiving donations from plaintiffs were Prosser, Gableman, Roggensack, and Zeigler. Voting against were Abrahamson, Crooks, and Bradley.

They are elected officials who are allowed to take campaign contributions from the people they are deciding cases on.

Wisconsin is going to shred its entire constitution at the hands of Walker before this is done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Supreme_Court

 

[White Eagle]

A report just now on MSNBC is that a Judge has issued a restraining order on the bill that Walker signed.
She says it is possible the opponents of the bill will win!!!!
Trying to find a link now,

 

[White Eagle]

Here it is. Now all that's left is the party.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/...er-to-Block-Walkers-Bill-from-Being-Published

Fri Mar 18, 2011 at 11:29 AM EDT
Breaking: WI Judge Issues Restraining Order to Block Walker's Bill from Being Published

A Dane County judge has issued a restraining order on Friday to block publication of the state's collective bargaining law.

 

[BostonPirate]

The Walker Admin is about to be deligitimized by the courts.

Lets see if governors are above the law in wisconsin.

 

[CowboyBob]

Here you go, Walker:

 

[BostonPirate]

“The Wisconsin Supreme Court saidthis is exactly the kind of meeting and deliberation that notice has to be given under the open meetings law,” Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said, citing a 1975 case. “It is not correct to say that when a court enforces or enters the area of enforcement of the open meeting law that it is somehow invading the legislative province. Our case law is rock solid on that.”

Sumi has not ruled on whether she will fall one way or the other in the current case, but was clear in saying she had the power to do so.

they are arguing with the judge on whether she can put the assemblymen on trial or not.

They are now in negotiations to save their own hides.

Dane County District Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said a hearing can continue even though the lawmakers being sued are immune from civil proceedings. That’s because Secretary of State Doug La Follette is also named in the case, Sumi said.
“The court has jurisdiction and the court does have the authority to go ahead and decide whether a temporary restraining order should be issued,” she said.

wow

 

[palemale]

The judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the anti-union law from going into effect. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/18/wisconsin-union-law-lawsuit_n_837580.html This is not good news for the governor and his rubber stamp Republican friends in the legislature. Since an element of getting the TRO is likelihood of success on the merits, the dems have a good shot.

 

[Kulindahr]

Wow -- a nice historic clash of branches of government.

I'd like to see this end up with a ruling that legislators are subject to legal action if they have broken the law in doing their jobs

 

[BostonPirate]

I believe we are about to see the state of Wisconsin have a constitutional crisis.

I have no idea what the wisconsin constitution actually says, so I guess I ought to have a look at it. Google here I come.

 

[White Eagle]

Y'all know more about this procedure than I do. So have at it!
I'll just watch.

 

[White Eagle]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#42142768

Rachel Maddow has an interesting story about Ohio when the GOP tried to end unions back in the 50s. It's a video and the Ohio story starts about 3:50. But the whole video is telling what the GOP is doing to themselves come elections.
It ain't pretty. She covers what is going on in WI at the beginning.

 

[White Eagle]

The GOP is having a hard time trying to keep up with the Unions in their recall effort. Here are two articles about it.

http://www.alternet.org/newsandview...party_express_warns_gop_in_danger/#paragraph8

Wisconsin Recall: Tea Party Express Warns GOP In Danger

In an urgent e-mail to its members, the Tea Party Express warned:

For the past two weeks Democrats have out-hustled, out-worked, and out-fundraised Republicans in the RECALL campaigns that are being launched against Gov. Walker and the Republican State Senators.

I love this part of the story:

(When clipboard-carrying protesters showed up at the Hopper residence, Alysia Hopper, the senator's wife, informed them that the senator no longer lived there since taking up with a 25-year-old mistress who happens to be a lobbyist at a right-wing firm. A local television station received a letter from Alysia Hopper that they say suggests that she signed the recall petition against her estranged husband.)

Here is Walkers tribe's video to get WI voters to back walker.

lol




And this from Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/conservatives-we-are-bein_n_836794.html

Sam Stein, Huffpost Reporting

Conservatives: We Are Being Outworked And Out-Organized In Wisconsin Recall Campaigns

WASHINGTON -- Both national and Wisconsin-based Republican operatives tell the Huffington Post the party is being dramatically outworked and out-organized by Democrats in the recall campaigns being launched against state Senators.

 

[White Eagle]

^^^Most of you don't know it, but this is an actual live webcam view of the Wisconsin legislature.

Come to think about it, I did click on a link by accident.
Could be, could be.