Scott Walker's administration has reversed itself and suddenly decided to comply with the judicial ruling halting the implementation of the bill stripping state workers of their collective bargaining rights. The story:
A Wisconsin judge ruled Thursday the state?s divisive new collective bargaining law had not taken effect, and officials in Republican Gov. Scott Walker?s administration say he plans to comply with the ruling and to halt preparations to begin deducting money from public workers? paychecks.Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi issued her declaration a day after Walker?s aides said they believed the law was processed correctly and that they would continue efforts to enact it, despite the judge?s warning to halt such efforts.
Two Walker administration officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the governor hadn?t publicly announced his plans said he would announce later Thursday that he would comply with Sumi?s ruling.
This sudden act of compliance is a surprising move from Wisconsin Republicans. Not only had they ignored two previous court orders to stop implementing the law, but earlier today Republican Assembly Leader Scott Fitzgerald was still sounding defiant. From an earlier version of the AP story:
A Wisconsin judge ruled Thursday the state's divisive new collective bargaining law was not in effect ? a clear warning to Republican Gov. Scott Walker's administration that it risks sanctions should it continue with its preparations to begin deducting money from public employees' paychecks.Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi issued her declaration a day after Republican Gov. Scott Walker's aides said they believed the law was processed correctly and that they would continue efforts to enact it, despite a warning from Sumi to halt such efforts.(...)
A spokesman for Republican Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald said he had nothing new to say beyond his previous statement that he didn't believe the judge had the authority to interject herself into the affairs of the Legislature given the separation of powers.
It's anyone's guess as to why Wisconsin Republicans decided to suddenly change their minds and comply with the court order. Maybe they concluded their poll numbers had dropped far enough, and provoking a Constitutional crisis would be too politically damaging. Maybe their lawyers concluded they did not actually have a strong case for ignoring the court order, and as such actually grew worried about being found in contempt of court. Whatever their rationale, they appear to have stepped back from the brink. At least for now.
For more discussion of the legal twists and turns in Wisconsin, check out the rec list dairy by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse.
how to get involved in politics download data politic senate appropriations political forums
No comments:
Post a Comment