Yesterday the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 4 to 3 to overturn Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi’s decision to strike down a state law limiting the collective bargaining power of public sector unions to negotiate for benefits, hours, and working conditions. The state Supreme Court ruled that the state Legislature had not violated the Wisconsin Constitution.
The Wisconsin AFL-CIO issued a statement against the ruling: “The inability of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to separate partisan politics from the well-being of Wisconsinites is the latest indication that citizens do not have a voice in the state.”
In May, Sumi stated in her decision that Republican lawmakers violated the Wisconsin Open Public Meetings Law requiring that 24 hours’ notice be given prior to a meeting. At the time, the Republican senators voted in conference to strip the House bill of its spending measures to bypass the Senate 60 percent quorum. The Republican senators then voted 18-1, with only Republicans voting because, in protest, the Democrat senators left the state in an effort to prevent the vote.
