Wisconsin Law Journal – WI Legal News & Resources Wisconsin Legal News & Resources
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Foxconn Technology Group will manage their new research partnership largely behind closed doors.
Tagged with: Foxconn open records law University of Wisconsin-Madison
Read More »Justices considering how records law applies to courts (UPDATE)
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is reviewing how the state's open records law applies to the court system, sparking concern among government transparency advocates that justices may close off legal documents to the public.
Tagged with: Open Records open records law
Read More »Taxpayers to pay $2,000 to end open records lawsuit
Taxpayers will pay nearly $2,000 to send a lawsuit brought against a Democratic state representative who initially refused to turn over requested emails in electronic format.
Tagged with: jonathan brostoff open records law
Read More »View from around the state: Keep police video under Open Records Law
An Assembly bill to restrict the release of body camera recordings would undermine the main rationale for equipping police officers with video devices.
Tagged with: open records law
Read More »Walker orders state agencies to increase access to records
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ordered state agencies to increase access to public records on Thursday, a move that comes on the heels of his proposal to end the publishing of certain notices in local newspapers.
Tagged with: open records law Scott Walker
Read More »Former Wisconsin Corrections head loses appeal of firing (UPDATE)
A state panel rejected former state Corrections secretary Ed Wall's appeal of his firing, saying he knowingly tried to evade Wisconsin's open records law.
Tagged with: Brad Schimel DOC Ed Wall Lester Pines open records law wrongful termination
Read More »Testimony reveals inmates told secretary about abuse
New testimony reveals that inmates at Wisconsin's troubled juvenile prison swarmed the corrections secretary during a 2015 visit to complain that they were being harmed by staff.
Tagged with: Brad Schimel Department of Corrections DOJ Lester Pines open records law
Read More »Judge: State violated records law by withholding voter names
A judge says state labor officials should have released voters' names during the Madison teachers union's recertification election last year.
Tagged with: open records law Peter Anderson
Read More »View from around the state: Another attempt to restrict information
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has dropped a proposal to restrict how much board members could say to the media, but the agency can't be allowed to skate away from this episode without criticism.
Tagged with: open records law WEDC
Read More »Appeals court says sheriff must produce unredacted records
An appeals court has affirmed a ruling in an open-records lawsuit that an immigrant and worker’s rights group filed against Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.
Tagged with: David Borowski open records law
Read More »Open-government advocates question closed-door DNR meeting (UPDATE)
Open-government advocates are questioning whether a Department of Natural Resources board violated the state's open-meetings law by having an unannounced closed-door gathering.
Tagged with: DNR open records law Quinn Williams
Read More »Lawmakers to vote on WIAA open records laws
An Assembly committee is slated to vote Wednesday on a bill that would subject Wisconsin's high school athletics association to open records and meetings laws.
Tagged with: John Nygren open records law
Read More »Courts should let a little sunlight in
Transparency is the core value of a democratic society. In a democratic self-government, voters have the power to select and reject those who will wield the power of government.
Tagged with: Ed Fallone Open Records open records law
Read More »Board backs away from open records rule changes
Wisconsin officials backed away Thursday from a move to cut back on record-keeping requirements amid a backlash by open government advocates.
Tagged with: Open Records open records law
Read More »Vos says he’s not pursuing open records changes (UPDATE)
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Tuesday that lawmakers will not be pursuing changes to the state's open records law this session, despite a request from his office to have a bill drafted setting different standards for the Legislature.
Tagged with: open records law Robin Vos
Read More »View from around the state: Schimel has right attitude on open records
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel spoke at an open government forum on Wednesday at a Madison hotel. It had been arranged before the effort to gut the open records law took place just before the Fourth of July weekend, but that episode made the forum all the more timely.
Tagged with: Brad Schimel open records law
Read More »Records tie Walker’s office to bill gutting open records law
Newly released documents show Gov. Scott Walker's office was involved in drafting a state budget amendment that would have overhauled Wisconsin's open records law and kept some government materials secret.
Tagged with: open records law Scott Walker
Read More »Media advocates: Law doesn’t need changes for body cameras (UPDATE)
Wisconsin's open records law doesn't need a substantial rewrite to address police body camera videos, media advocates argued at a state Department of Justice summit on the statutes Wednesday.
Tagged with: Brad Schimel DOJ James Friedman Jill Karofsky open records law
Read More »Schimel to host open government summit following uproar (UPDATE)
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said Monday that he hopes lawmakers will get some ideas for updating the state's open records law during a summit he's hosting, which comes just weeks after he spoke out against efforts to keep many government records private.
Tagged with: Brad Schimel open records law
Read More »Assembly speaker asked for open records changes (UPDATE)
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was the state lawmaker who drafted a proposal that would have gutted Wisconsin's open records law and protected legislators from having to release documents currently available, documents released to The Associated Press on Thursday show.
Tagged with: Open Records open records law Robin Vos
Read More »View from around the state: State’s open-records law benefits everyone
Victory has a thousand fathers, the saying goes, but defeat is an orphan.
Tagged with: open records law
Read More »Assembly OKs open records resolution
The state Assembly has approved a resolution re-affirming open government in Wisconsin.
Tagged with: open records law Robin Vos
Read More »Senate wipes open records rollback from budget
The Wisconsin Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to erase a dramatic rollback of the state's open records law that Gov. Scott Walker's office helped add to the state budget.
Tagged with: open records law
Read More »Walker, GOP retreat on open records limits
In a sudden reversal amid a stinging backlash, Gov. Scott Walker and GOP legislative leaders said they agreed Saturday to completely remove a part of the proposed state budget that would severely roll back open records laws.
Tagged with: open records law
Read More »Backlash over GOP plan to tighten open records law
Opposition mounted Friday to a surprise Republican budget measure that would exempt from Wisconsin open records laws nearly everything created by state and local government officials, including drafts of legislation and communications with staff.
Tagged with: Brad Schimel open records law
Read More »BENCH BLOG: Court helps define when open-records net can take in personal notes
When a mid-state newspaper made a full-court press for the release of employee notes that were taken down during a school district’s disciplinary investigation, the Court of Appeals took the opportunity to construe an exception to the public-records law.
Tagged with: Bench Blog Brian Blanchard Court of Appeals Jean DiMotto open records law
Read More »Newspaper not entitled to attorney fees in records lawsuit
The state Supreme Court says a newspaper isn't entitled to fees in a records dispute.
Tagged with: Bob Dreps open records law Wisconsin Supreme Court
Read More »Appeals court denies newspaper’s request for documents
A state appeals court has denied a Wisconsin Rapids newspaper's request for public records from the Wisconsin Rapids Public School District.
Tagged with: 4th District Court of Appeals open records law
Read More »Foundation sues state over contraception records
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is suing the state to obtain records related to a decision not to enforce Wisconsin's contraceptive coverage law.
Tagged with: Freedom from Religion Foundation open records law
Read More »View from around the state: Ruling is real danger to open records
On the surface, it might look reasonable, but an appeals court decision about the state's open records law will close the public's access to information it has a right to see.
Tagged with: open records law
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