Wisconsin's second statewide election since the coronavirus pandemic began came with far more time to prepare than the first, and election officials were hoping for a correspondingly smoother result in Tuesday's primary.

Wisconsin state Sen. Fred Risser, the longest-serving legislator in the nation's history, said Thursday that he plans to retire.

The state Senate wrapped up its last session of the term Tuesday, sending a flurry of bills to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk.

The number of attorneys serving in the Legislature is slated to bottom out again as new lawmakers prepare to be sworn in early next year.

The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would prevent parents from having to pay more than $300,000 in civil cases when their children under age 18 cause car crashes.

The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would grant the right to appeal rulings blocking state laws.

A state Senate committee has scheduled a hearing on a bill that would give some immunity to underage drinkers who seek and obtain emergency assistance for themselves and others.

The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor voted 3-2 Tuesday in favor of a bill that proponents say would force more prompt rulings on appeals of circuit courts’ injunctions.

Republican state senators shot down four amendments Democrats offered Tuesday to a bill that would place a $30 million cap on the contingency fees the state can pay to law firms.

State lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday that would require divorcees to provide notice courts of a new marriage, triggering a cessation of child support and maintenance payments.

The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor approved a bill Tuesday that would prevent law firms from receiving more than $30 million from contingency-fee contracts held with the state.

Wisconsin lawmakers voted Thursday to extend temporary guidelines for the issuing of concealed weapons permits until mid-December.

Democrats officially took control of the state Senate on Tuesday, electing Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, president. Risser, the longest serving state lawmaker in the country, has served 56 years in the Legislature.

Three of the five people whom Gov. Scott Walker appointed to a commission to investigate Supreme Court Justice David Prosser were recommended by a former Assembly speaker who once worked for Prosser.

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin state Senate passed a measure Thursday that attempts to limit the amount of fees attorneys can collect when damages are awarded to consumers who have been harmed. The Republican-backed bill, as originally introduced, would have capped attorneys’ fees at no more than three times the amount of damages when ...

Fred A. Risser introduces himself by handing out two business cards and a brief explanation for why his life no longer fits on one.

Individuals filing cases against the state of Wisconsin could now have their arguments heard by the judge of their choice, according to a Senate bill approved by the governing body’s judiciary committee Tuesday. Senate Bill 117 would allow plaintiffs — who file cases where the lone defendant is the state or one of its boards or employees — to choose ...

Judges in Wisconsin might soon be required to consider GPS tracking of individuals who violate restraining orders related to abuse or harassment cases. The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce and Government Operations voted 5-0 to pass the measure Tuesday that would require courts to consider placing GPS tracking devices on restraining order offenders. The tracking device would notify the ...

A state lawmaker said he was concerned Wisconsin wasn’t getting the best possible deal on a new lease for the State Public Defender’s office in Racine. The state has agreed to pay $950,000 over 10 years for a 5,298-square-foot office that will house 24 staff members. The office is in a strip plaza at 420 Sixth St. Sen. Fred Risser, ...

State Sen. Fred Risser might have more firsthand knowledge of eminent domain than any other member of the Wisconsin Legislature. Dane County in 2002 forced the Madison Democrat to sell his law office, at South Hamilton and West Wilson streets, for $728,800 so the county could build a new courthouse. Risser fought the sale and asked for twice as much ...

By DAVID LIEB and 
SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The showdown over collective bargaining rights for public employees is just the first step in a contentious debate over how to solve Wisconsin’s budget woes, with newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker also seeking to dismantle an array of social policies enacted under his Democratic predecessor. On the ...