Gov. Scott Walker has appointed an attorney from the Wisconsin Department of Justice to fill a spot on the Dane County Circuit Court bench.

A federal judge said Thursday that opponents of more than a dozen new Wisconsin election laws had made a "pretty decent case" that Republicans approved them to secure a partisan advantage, but added he isn't convinced the measures actually had a dramatic effect.

Opponents of Wisconsin's voter identification law argued in federal court Monday that the legislation is improperly restrictive and should be expanded to allow people to use more forms of ID.

Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette tried to persuade a judge Friday to temporarily block provisions in the state budget that slash La Follette's budget by nearly 50 percent, arguing the cuts have crippled his office and he can't fulfill his duties.

In a stunningly fast decision, a federal appeals court in Chicago reinstated Wisconsin's voter photo identification law on Friday — just hours after three Republican-appointed judges heard arguments on reactivating the hotly debated law in time for the November election.

Oral arguments Tuesday for a case challenging the state’s voter ID laws saw at least one Wisconsin Supreme Court justice invoking restrictive laws historically used to block blacks from participating in elections.

A federal hearing over Wisconsin's voter-ID law began Monday with several minority witnesses, many of whom said their efforts to obtain a state-issued ID were met with bureaucratic obstacles that took time, money and legal assistance to overcome.