Wisconsin lawmakers decisions leading to more court fights

It is clear that our political parties rarely see eye to eye. On just about anything these days. And those disagreements have become more than ideological arguments. They are increasingly becoming legal arguments. Wisconsin finds itself awash in lawsuits as the new legislative session gets underway in Madison. Litigation has already begun in fights between Wisconsin democrats and republicans. Much of the legal fight centers on the recent lame-duck legislative sessions where the republican controlled Legislature passed a series of laws to reduce the power of incoming democrats. One lawmaker may file suit because he is disabled, and claims the meeting where the votes were held was a violation of open records laws. He missed the vote because no firm start time was provided. A legal fight is expected over the decision to limit Wisconsin’s early voting period to two weeks. Another legal fight has developed over the Affordable Care Act. A long-running lawsuit over the state’s legislative boundaries could go to trial this spring. We have already spent millions on that legal fight. It is not clear who will be the winner of any of these legal battles, but with the meter constantly running on all these legal fees, it is clear that Wisconsin taxpayers will be the losers.