NOTE: This story ran on the EducationVotes Web site. Some excerpts follow below, but you can get the full story on the site.
By Cynthia McCabe
A judge on Friday morning ruled that the publication of the collective bargaining law that strips workers of their rights to bargain contracts must be halted, because its passage may have happened illegally.
According to Politico, Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order preventing the secretary of state from publishing the law until she can rule on the case. The matter came before her in a complaint by the Dane County district attorney on behalf of public officials who believe Republicans violated the state’s open-meeting law while maneuvering to get the law passed.
Mary Bell, president of the 98,000-member Wisconsin Education Association Council, applauded the ruling:
“Wisconsin’s educators call upon the Legislature to take this as a clear signal that Wisconsinites will not tolerate backroom deals and political power plays when it comes to our public schools and other valued services."