WISCREPORT.COM (06/23/2010) - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kathleen Parker and former New York governor Eliot Spitzer will co-host a spirited, nightly roundtable discussion program on CNN/U.S., according to Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. The new program, set to debut this fall, will air weeknights at 8pm Eastern time (7 CDT, etc.). Democrat Spitzer, a prosecutor and governor, and Parker, a conservative commentator, will host an exchange of opinions and analyses of the news of the day between themselves and guests and regular contributors. Click on the headline above to read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (06/16/2010) - Large majorities of Americans feel they should be allowed to have guns, acccording to the latest Harris Poll findings. At the same time, many Americans favor stricter control of guns, particularly hand guns, although this number has decreased somewhat in the past few years. Most Republicans and Americans who own guns favor less strict laws controlling guns and hand-guns. Conversely, most Democrats and those who do not own guns favor stricter control of guns and hand guns. Click on the headline above for more details at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (04/23/2010) - The Wisconsin State Assembly has passed a Senate Bill designed to increase public safety. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says it creates a process to compel offenders who have failed to fulfill their legal obligations, to submit DNA specimens to the data bank. By having a more complete data bank of DNA information it is expected that the job of law enforcement will be swifter and more accurate. In a related matter, Van Hollen says there is no longer a DNA case backlog at the state crime lab. For more on this story at WisconsinReport.com click on the headline above. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (04/22/2010) - A federal court has banned eight companies and their principals from selling credit repair and mortgage relief services, and ordered them to pay more than 7.5 million dollars for deceiving consumers throughout the United States. the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged seven of the companies and three officers with making false promises that they would improve consumers’ credit scores by removing negative information on credit reports. The FTC says the companies misled people, charged illegal advance payments, and did not provide written contracts required by law. See more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (03/25/2010) - The United States Senate has approved a package of Fixes to the historic health care reform bill that President Obama signed into law Tuesday. The Senate vote on the Fixes was 56-43. The Fixes were sent to the Senate by the House following House approval of the Senate Health Reform bill last weekend. The Senate sent the Fixes package back to the House for a final Fixes vote due to some technical glitches in the Fixes that were uncovered in the Senate. Meanwhile, some Wisconsin Republicans want to authorize a lawsuit over the new federal Health Care Law. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (03/23/2010) - President Barack Obama has signed the Senate Health Reform bill into law, making good on a campaign promise that helped him get elected. The road to signing day was bumpy, slow and frustrating over more than a year since President Obama was sworn into office in January of 2009. Several provisions in the new law came from Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin. As President Obama was signing the bill, Attorneys General from more than a dozen states were filing lawsuits challenging the new law, and Washington D.C. Republicans have vowed to repeal it. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/01/2010) - Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. has announced that Toyota will be extending on a nationwide basis the additional services being provided to Toyota and Lexus customers in New York affected by the recent Toyota recalls. The services involve sticking accelerator pedals, floor mat pedal entrapment, anti-lock brake system software updates, and Tacoma front drive shaft inspection. Toyota says additional services are being provided to customers concerned about driving their vehicle before the repair is completed. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/26/2010) - Nearly 50 foreign nationals were arrested in central and western Wisconsin during a week-long enforcement action targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitives. This operation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Border Patrol in Duluth, Minnesota. Arrests were made in Medford, Stratford, Altoona, Dorchester, Edgar, Wittenberg, Spencer, Loyal, Merrill, Antigo, Plover, Mosinee, Abbotsford and Marathon City. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/01/2010) - Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin (ABC WI) filed an injunction Friday, January 29, 2010, in Dane County Circuit Court to prevent the implementation of a new law requiring contractors to electronically file extensive payroll data when working on public works projects. The law, adopted last May as part of the budget bill, became effective this January. The association says it unfairly treats non-union contractors differently than union contractors. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (12/05/2009) - Governor Jim Doyle (D-WI) has appointed State Assembly Representative Gary Sherman to the District IV Court of Appeals, following the retirement of Judge Bridge. The state Republican Party director suggests the Sherman appointment was payback for past vote switching, and the Republican running for his seat alleges Sherman accepted the judgeship because he would have a hard time defeating his opponent. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (11/18/2009) - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept seven new cases. Among the cases is a case involving who should pay the taxes on a multi-million dollar inheritance after a young girl was named to receive the large sum when her godfather died. The estate said the inheritor should pay, but the young girl and her parents said the estate should pay. The estate paid, then sued the girl and her parents for reimbursement. The Supreme Court will decide who should pay. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (11/5/2009) - The American Civil Liberties Union is applauding a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to dismiss a challenge to the recently-enacted Wisconsin domestic partnership registry. The Court also rejected a request from board members of Wisconsin Family Action that the registry be declared unconstitutional and put indefinitely on hold. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (10/22/2009) - A State Assembly committee today heard landmark legislation aimed at protecting victims of sexual abuse by removing the civil statute of limitations in sex assault cases involving children. The Child Victims Act would eliminate limits on how long after a sexual assault on a child the suspect can be brought to trial. Similar legislation has been enacted in other states. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/22/2009) - The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a motion before the Wisconsin Supreme Court on behalf of five same-sex couples asking that the couples be allowed to participate in a lawsuit that will decide whether the newly enacted Wisconsin domestic partner law violates the State anti-gay marriage amendment. Click on headline above to read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/18/2009) - A 62 year old Oak Creek, Wisconsin man has been arrested on charges of enticing a minor into unlawful sexual conduct over the Internet. The man allegedly arranged to pick up the 14 year old boy at the Brookfield Square shopping center after a meeting on MySpace. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (08/22/2009) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has issued a statement saying he will not represent the State of Wisconsin in defending domestic partnerships against a recent legal challenge filed with the State Supreme Court. The Attorney General's decision has brought forward disappointment from several quarters, including Governor Jim Doyle, as well as Fair Wisconsin, and One Wisconsin Now. The Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now says Van Hollen is flip-flopping on the issue, citing statements made by Van Hollen during the 2006 election season. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (08/07/2009) - Washington D.C. has extended the Cash For Clunkers program which has been more successful than originally anticipated. Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold says the program has been a boost to local economies, and is pleased to see it continue. Feingold, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also says he was pleased to vote to approve the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Feingold also approves of the cooperative nature of agencies looking into possible anti-competetive practices hampering some parts of the dairy industry. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (07/16/2009) - DISH Network, LLC has agreed to pay restitution to consumers and to enter into an agreement that limits how it can market services in the future to settle consumer protection allegations with Attorneys General in 46 states. The states alleged the satellite TV provider and its third-party retailers engaged in deceptive and unfair sales practices. The company denied any wrongdoing. Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has announced the possibility of consumer restitution for eligible consumers. Read more about this story at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (07/13/2009) - U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) gave high marks to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor in his opening statement during the first day of confirmation hearings, but wants to know more. Kohl is second in seniority among Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for conducting the hearings as the Senate engages in its Constitutional role to advise and consent on Supreme Court nominations. Kohl told the nominee that the committee needs to know what she thinks about civil rights, privacy, property rights, the separation of church and state, and civil liberties. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (06/16/2009) - A 34 year old Watertown, Wisconsin man has been sentenced to twenty years on child pornography charges. The sentence stems from an incident that federal attorneys say took place in Marshall, Wisconsin in 2008. The man pleaded guilty to the charge of using a minor to produce child pornography after the prosecution obtained a copy of a videotape that showed the man fondling a girl under twelve years old. The judge said the man will not be granted parole before the 20 years are served, and when released will be supervised the rest of his life. Read more about it at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (06/08/2009) - Fiat and the new Chrysler Group LLC have agreed to honor most of the Lemon Law rights of Chrysler buyers when the new company takes control of the U.S. auto maker.The new Chrysler Group LLC will be owned by Fiat, the UAW, the U.S., and Canada. State Lemon Laws provide consumers with rights and procedures to obtain a refund or a replacement vehicle if a new vehicle develops a significant problem that can not be repaired after a certain number of repair attempts. More on this story is online at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (05/26/2009) - President Barack Obama officially nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court this morning (Tuesday) following a White House search that in the end, reportedly, included five women on the Short List. If approved by Congress, Judge Sotomayor will be the first hispanic to sit on the Supreme Court. U.S. Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold say Sotomayor seems to be a good choice, but they reserve the right to study her qualifications carefully, because filling the Supreme Court seat being vacated is serious business. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (05/20/2009) - State Representative Joe Parisi (D-Madison) and Senator Pat Kreitlow (D) Chippewa Falls) announced today they will be introducing a bill designed to protect the right of a journalist to keep sources and material gathered during the reporting process confidential. The legislation, which is currently being circulated for co-sponsors, is called the Whistleblower Protection Act, and has already been passed by 32 other states in some form. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (05/19/2009) - In response to President Obama's commencement address last Sunday at the University of Notre Dame, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), held a press conference in Washington, D.C. Monday (5/19/2009). Smith and Sensenbrenner also sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to publicly forgo rescinding the Bush Administration conscience protection regulation regarding abortions in the United States. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (05/05/2009) - In a decision quickly praised by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals held today that Garrett L. Huff was properly convicted of conspiring to commit election bribery in a City of Milwaukee aldermanic re-call election, even though the persons with whom he was found to have conspired were undercover law enforcement officers ineligible to vote in the election involved. Read more about it at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/28/2009) - Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore is a co-sponsor of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1913). The act is designed to give local law enforcement agencies tools to combat violent hate crimes. If passed. it would expand the definition of a Hate Crime. Moore says every American regardless of race, religion, color, gender or sexual orientation should never have to be a victim of a hate crime. See the story at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/16/2009) - A Janesville man has been sentanced to six and a half years in prison without parole for robbing a Madison, Wisconsin bank. Erik C. Peterson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that John Kowal, 23, Janesville, Wis., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb to 78 months in prison without parole for robbing the Anchor Bank on Westfield Road in Madison on September 16, 2008. More on this and other stories can be found at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/10/2009) - What does a former Wisconsin State Senator do after he becomes a private citizen again? More than 300 individuals attended a landing party on April 4, 2009 in New Berlin, Wis. to witness the successful completion of former Wisconsin State Senator Dave Zien's one million mile ride on the same Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The feat earned him a world record from the Iron Butt Association. Read more about this story at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/04/2009) - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says the first priority of any government should be public safety. He made the statement while attending a get together of law enforcement professionals in Cambridge friday. Van Hollen is concerned about possible sentencing changes being discussed by State officials in Madison. Read more details at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/26/2009) - The Wisconsin Department of Justice has obtained a 5.5 Million Dollar judgment against a Colorado corporation, the National Rebate Fund, Inc., and its owner, Timothy Stubbs, over their operation of a fraudulent rebate scheme known as the National Energy Rebate Fund. And, in another case, Northern States Power has been ordered to pay 1.3 Million. See WisconsinReport.com for more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/06/2009) - President Barack Obama today announced $2 billion in Recovery Act 2009 funding allocations for state and local law enforcement assistance available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, including over $30 million for the state of Wisconsin. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/17/2009) - A Dane County jury has found a pharmaceutical manufacturer defrauded the Wisconsin Medicaid program by reporting grossly inflated and fraudulent prices. In a case brought by the Wisconsin Department of Justice against Pharmacia, after a two-week trial, the jury determined that Pharmacia should pay $9 million to compensate the state for its monetary losses. The jury considered allegations of both Medicaid and consumer fraud, and found that Pharmacia violated both laws. Read more on the internet at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/13/2009) - Lambda Legal and the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin has filed a federal lawsuit the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on behalf of Melody Rose, a 35-year-old Wisconsin woman who was denied surgery to remove her gallbladder because she has HIV. Lambda Legal and ARCW represent Melody Rose who experienced health problems with her gallbladder while incarcerated at Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac. She was referred to Fond du Lac Regional Hospital where a surgeon rufused to perform surgery after learning the woman was HIV Positive. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (01/05/2009) - The Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council has announced the formation of the Special Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight. The committee is a bipartisan, inter-branch body. The group's mission is to examine why Wisconsin’s prison population is growing and how the state can reduce recidivism and increase public safety. Governor James Doyle, Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, and legislative leaders requested such a study be made to determine how the criminal justice system in Wisconsin can be more effective. Doyle was Wisconsin Attorney General before becoming governor. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (01/02/2009) - An Oshkosh, Wisconsin man has been charged with seventeen counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Wisconsin Attorney General A.G. Van Hollen's office says Wisconsin Department of Justice agents partnered with the Oshkosh Police Department and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department in an investigation of internet crimes against children. In an unrelated Portage County case, the Court of Appeals upheld a decision involving secretly videotaping a former girlfriend while she was nude. Read more at WisconsinReport.com, the place for news about people, places, politics, events and activities. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (11/17/08) - With Wisconsin’s nine-day regular deer season right around the corner, thousands of hunters across the state are making plans for the annual rituals of deer camp. And while there are many items to pack up as hunters prepare for the season, there’s one item that shouldn’t make the trip: firewood. Firewood can move dormant stages of emerald ash borer (EAB) and other pests and diseases into areas previously free of those problems. For more information see the story at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/27/08) - There are mixed reactions to last night's first United States Presidential Debate between the two major party candidates running to be the next Commander In Chief of the Economy as well as Commander In Chief of the Military. McCain supporters say Arizona Senator John McCain won, while Illinois Senator Barack Obama supporters say Obama came out on top. And, Depending on which tv/radio talker you listen to after the debates, you have your choice of, it was a draw, or, Obama proved he was ready to take control of the military and the economy, or, McCain's strategy seemed to be to try his best to look stern and to not look at his opponent, and so on. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/01/08) - The 2008 Report of the Democratic Platform Committee suggests that Democrats want to make the United States Government and the country less partisan than it has been for decades. The Preamble to the Platform, states that it's time to reach out to Republicans, Independents, and all Americans who hunger for a new direction, and a reason to hope. The Platform indicates Democrats not only want to undo the damage they perceive that the Bush Administration has done, they want to find and enact the ideas that are right for the country and it's citizens. Read the Preamble at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (08/29/08) - Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama officially accepted his party's nomination last night, during the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. During his acceptance speech Obama made the case for why America cannot afford four more years of what many believe are the failed policies of the George W. Bush Administration. Obama laid out his vision to bring about fundamental change at home and abroad. He reminded the country about the extraordinary promise of America at its best and challenged his supporters to continue to fight for that promise by marching ahead and never looking back. Read Obama's acceptance speech at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (08/27/08) - Last night the candidate who came in second in the long primary campaign to determine who would be the Democrats presidential candidate on the November 2008 ballot urged her 18 Million primary voters to switch their allegience to Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton told delegates at the Democrats National Convention in Denver, Colorado that her delegates and supporters and Obama's delegates and supporters must unite as a single party with a single purpose. Hillary said it's time to take back the country and no one should sit by the sidelines, because it will take everyone and every vote to make sure it happens. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (07/23/08) - A West Bend, Wisconsin company has been ordered to pay 215-thousand dollars as the result of a Department of Natural Resources lawsuit against the firm. Anton J. Matuszczak and Shoreline Contracting Services, Inc. are to pay $75,000 in forfeitures and surcharges for violating Wisconsin water pollution laws by failing to follow permit requirements governing a bluff stabilization project along Lake Michigan in Mequon, Ozaukee County. Matuszczak must also provide a $140,000 letter of credit for restoration of the affected property. More at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (07/21/08) - American voters oppose same-sex marriage 55 - 36 percent, but they don't want government to get involved in banning the practice, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pee-ack) University national poll released last week. Democrats support same-sex marriage by a narrow 47 - 43 percent margin, while Republicans oppose it 80 - 14 percent and independent voters oppose it 49 - 43 percent. Women in the survey oppose same-sex marriage 51 - 40 percent and men oppose it 61 - 31 percent. More details are on the internet at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (07/12/08) - The United States Senate has passed Senator Herb Kohl’s (D-WI) legislation to protect Americans from becoming the victim of foreclosure rescue scams as part of a bipartisan housing package (H.R. 3221). The Kohl measure protects financially distressed homeowners – often elderly – from unscrupulous financial predators by implementing stricter requirements and a federal floor of protection. For more on this story and others go to WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (06/26/08) - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says the State Crime Lab has added additional DNA experts to keep up with the demand. 19 new DNA analysts have completed their rigorous year-long training and certification program to join the team in Madison. In related news, J.B. Van Hollen was recently elected to serve as Chairman of the Midwestern Region of the National Association of Attorneys General. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (05/17/08) - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen met friday, May 16, 2008 with law enforcement leaders, elected officials, community leaders, judges, and public safety officials from throughout Portage County at a law enforcement roundtable hosted by State Senator Julie Lassa and State Representative Louis Molepske, Jr. Topics discussed included internet crimes against children, prosecutor shortages, juvenile justice, alcohol and other drug addiction treatment program needs, and public safety funding. WisconsinReport.com, the place to read about people, places, politics, events and activities that matter, has more on this story. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/10/08) - Wisconsin's Attorney General is concerned about a proposed merger of the only two satellite radio companies providing the service in the United States. He is so concerned that he's stepping in to try to stop the merger of Sirius and XM. Citing concerns about anti-competitive and anti-consumer effects, Republican Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to utilize its role to carefully review the proposed license transfer between Sirius and XM now that the federal Justice Department Antitrust Division has chosen to look the other way. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/02/08) - Partisan politics is still going strong in the state of Wisconsin, according to comments made by Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Reince Priebus following the Spring Election, April 1st 2008. Wisconsin conservatives are claiming what they call convincing victories, replacing Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler, taking away Governor Doyle’s Frankenstein Veto power and winning key local government races including Scott Walker’s win in Milwaukee County. Butler, meanwhile, is concerned about the negative advertising of his opponent and groups outside of Judge Michael Gableman's campaign. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/29/08) - The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) is predicting a twenty percent turnout, or approximately 875,000 voters, to participate in the Tuesday, April 1st Spring Election. The election will include a state Supreme Court race and a statewide referendum regarding limiting the Governor’s veto power. The choices for Supreme Court are current Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler, and, Burnett County Judge Mike Gableman. There have been numerous, contentious commercials from both Supreme Court candidates' and from third parties. Tuesday it will be up to voters to decide what and who they believe. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/24/08) - Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roland Day and Justice William Bablitch have endorsed Justice Louis Butler for retention on the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justice Bablitch says Justice Butler has experience, integrity, and is the best choice. Butler has been endorsed by five police organizations, two-hundred-twenty judges, 25 district attorneys and sheriffs, fire department associations, and union groups. Butler has also been endorsed by both of Wisconsin's United States Senators and five of eight Wisconsin Representatives to the U.S. Congress. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/17/08) - The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV) is hailing the passage of the Safe Housing Act, SB 269, a bill designed to remove barriers facing domestic violence victims in housing. Last Wednesday, the Assembly unanimously backed the bill, and the Senate gave its final concurring and also unanimous vote on Thursday, last week. The Safe Housing Act allows victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking to terminate a lease if they are in imminent physical danger and have an accepted form of documentation of the abuse. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/03/08) - A Wisconsin judge is challenging a state provision that does not allow judges to be members of the political party of his or her choice. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge John Siefert has filed a constitutional challenge in federal court in Madison against a Wisconsin regulation barring judges from belonging to political parties. Judges are elected in Wisconsin on a non-partisan basis, and a provision of the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct prohibits individuals from belonging to a political party while serving as a judge or running for judicial office. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/29/08) - There will be a debate in Madison between the two candidates running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The one hour debate will take place March 25th between Justice Louis Butler and Judge Michael Gableman. It will be held at the State Bar Center in Madison. Space is limited and free tickets are required to attend the reception and the debate. The event will also be simultaneously webcast on WisBar.org and will be rebroadcast on cable systems in various communities statewide by Wisconsin Eye. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/25/028) - While awareness of human trafficking is not widespread, the number of victims in Wisconsin is far greater than previously thought, according to a new study by the Office of Justice Assistance. Over 200 cases of victims forced into sex acts or labor services in Wisconsin were reported in a survey of nearly 400 sexual assault service providers and justice system agencies. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/15/08) - State Representative Marlin Schneider of Wisconsin Rapids has introduced legislation to open the deliberations of the State Supreme Court and to provide criminal penalties against those who use the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Program otherwise known as CCAP to discriminate against employment and housing. The veteran Wisconsin Assembly Democrat is trying to do something for the numerous people who have contacted him about being victimized by the online Internet availability of court information that sometimes is misleading to users when incorrectly interpreted. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/15/08) - State Assembly Representative Gary Sherman of Port Wing, Wisconsin, has joined the growing list of state leaders who have issued statements of endorsement for Senator Barack Obama. Sherman, a past president of the State Bar of Wisconsin, has been representing the 74th Assembly District in the Ashland - Bayfield area of the state since 1998. He was elected vice chairman of Wisconsin Assembly Democrats in 2003 and 2005. Sherman says Obama can bridge the partisan divide and change federal lawmaking to be a positive force toward the quality of lives in Wisconsin and the United States again. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (12/28/07) - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold’s legislation to ensure Americans are not forced into mandatory arbitration agreements has been listed first by the Drum Major Institute in its review of the top ten public policies of 2007. While voluntary arbitration can be a fair and efficient way to solve disputes, Feingold’s Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007 would ensure that citizens have a true choice between arbitration and the traditional civil court system. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (12/15/07) - An inmate at the Green Bay Correctional Institution has been convicted of threatening the lives of the judge and a lead witness in the trial that put him in prison in the first place. In 2002, 26 year old Bobby Salas was convicted in Pierce County of sexual assault and aggravated battery. Salas later wrote a letter threatening the lives of the judge who presided at his Pierce County trial, and the lead investigator who testified against him at that trial. Under Wisconsin law, Salas faces a maximum prison term of 6 years for each threatening offense he was charged with. WisconsinReport has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (11/24/07) - A U.S. District Court judge has found television infomercial star Kevin Trudeau in contempt of court for violating a 2004 permanent injunction. The Court found that Trudeau violated the permanent injunction when he misrepresented the contents of his book, The Weight Loss Cure They Don’t Want You to Know About, in several infomercials. The permanent injunction had banned Trudeau from using infomercials to sell any product, service, or program. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (11/8/07) - Senator Julie Lassa (D – Stevens Point) has announced that Senate Bill 260, “Angie’s Law”, to strengthen the penalties for strangulation, received a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Corrections yesterday (11/7/07). “Angie’s Law” will strengthen the law to allow prosecutors to charge batterers with felonies instead of misdemeanors. This loophole is widely known among inmates in correctional facilities as a way to attack or control their partners without being charged a felony. More at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (11/7/07) - The Outagamie County Circuit Court has ordered former deputy treasurer-bookkeeper for the City of Seymour to pay $589,695 in restitution to the city in connection with an embezzlement scheme she carried out while employed there. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says 46 year old Carolyn M. Austin of Depere, Wisconsin, also is to serve 5 years in prison and ten years under extended supervision. She also must serve an additioanl 5 years on probation. More on this story is online at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/13/07) - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear 16 new cases. The cases include one involving securities fraud. Another involves whether a defendant is entitled to sentence credit against a new offense for time he spent in custody as a result of an extended supervision hold, and others. The cases are from Brown, Milwaukee, Portage, Sheboygan, Washburn, Waukesha, Dane, Racine and Kenosha counties. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM – An immigration judge in Chicago has ordered the removal of a Wisconsin man who, by his own admission, stood guard during a Nazi mass killing operation in occupied Poland in 1943, with orders to “shoot to kill” any still-living Jewish victim who attempted escape. (read more)...
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