Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said Wednesday the state will continue to consider restrictions on collective bargaining in effect, despite a judge's injunction against publishing the bill.
Huebsch released a statement saying he has a legal obligation to execute the law and criticized Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi's order to stop any further implementation of the law.
""Judge Sumi declined a request to declare that Act 10 was not lawfully published,"" Huebsch said. ""It is unclear how she can issue an order binding non-parties to a case who have not had their day in court.""
Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco released a statement condemning the department's decision to disregard the injunction.
""I and every other prosecutor in the state have been upset and frustrated with court decisions during the prosecution of thousands of cases, but we all recognize that we cannot ignore a court order because we disagree with it, regardless of the basis of our disagreement,"" DeCecco said.
Although Gov. Scott Walker signed the limits on collective bargaining into law, Secretary of State Doug La Follette has not been allowed to publish it.
Sumi ruled March 18 legislators broke the Open Meetings Law in the process of passing the legislation and issued a temporary restraining order to keep La Follette from publishing the law.
With La Follette unable to publish the law, he state's Legislative Reference Bureau published it in a surprise move March 25.
Republican legislators and the Department of Justice have argued the bureau's publication makes the law in effect as of March 26, and began implementing its provisions.
State Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, criticized the move, and said he was especially disappointed with Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
""I'm just stunned that the Attorney General, who's supposed to be our chief law enforcement officer, the one who interprets the law, would be willing to take the step on a partisan basis to decide that they're gonna ignore a court order,"" Miller said.
