Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to hear lame-duck lawsuit

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Supreme Court decided Tuesday not to hear a lawsuit Republican legislators filed last year alleging Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul wasn’t complying with laws passed during a 2018 lame-duck legislative session.

The Republicans alleged that Kaul wasn’t following provisions in the laws that require him to get lawmakers’ permission before settling some lawsuits. They contended that Kaul wasn’t seeking permission to enter into pre-suit resolutions, a violation of the lame-duck provisions.

The Republicans bypassed the lower courts and asked the conservative-leaning Supreme Court to take the case directly.

The court decided 6-1 on Tuesday not to take the case. The majority pointed out that the court upheld the lame-duck laws in a separate challenge in July. They didn’t offer any further explanation.

Justice Rebecca Bradley was the lone dissenter. She wrote that the court should have ordered the Republicans and Kaul to submit responses on how the July decision affected this challenge before deciding whether to take the case.