The Badger Awakens, Part 3

After their dictatorial little plan to hold Wisconsin Democrats in contempt to prevent them from being able to vote in committee fell apart, Wisconsin Republicans were knocked for a loop by the state courts saying that the procedure they used to pass Gov. Scott Walker's union busting bill violated the state's open meeting laws.  The court put the law on hold while the issue was presented to the state's Supreme Court.

The response of Wisconsin Republicans to this?  We don't need no steenking badger court.

The judge's order "restrain[ed] and enjoin[ed] the further implementation" of the law, including the prevention of Secretary of State Doug LaFollette (D) from publishing the act in the Wisconsin State Journal, which acts as the state's official newspaper for the purpose of giving the public official notice of new laws -- the final step for the law to take effect. That decision is now going through an appeals process, which remains up in the air.

But now, state Republicans have had the bill published through a different office -- the Legislative Reference Bureau, which handles drafting and research for the legislature -- according to the LRB's statutory requirement to publish legislation within ten days of enactment. Interestingly, the LRB itself says that this publication does not constitute action that would put the law into effect. But the state's Republican leaders disagree. Senate Majority Scott Fitzgerald (R) says the LRB publication constitutes official publication and the insists the law will take effect Saturday.

In direct violation of the court order.  Yeah, Republicans care about law and order and all that, as long as they agree with it.  Otherwise, screw you.

So what does this all mean? Well, it now appears that Republicans are ready to move ahead with the new law eliminating most collective bargaining rights for public employee unions, despite a court order that prevented not only 'publication' but any "further implementation" of the statute. The move is almost certain to spark yet more litigation and provide more grist for the Democratic efforts to recall Republican state Senators this year and Walker himself next year.

You think?   These enfants terrible would rather dispense with process anyway and just govern by dictatorship.  They're hard-wired for it.

I think this action just bought another several thousand recall votes.