A Madison circuit court judge denied a request by the state asking him to delay proceedings on a lawsuit challenging Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial Act 10 legislation, which all but eliminated state workers’ collective bargaining rights.
The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Association originally filed the pending lawsuit before Judge John Markson to challenge Act 10 as it applies to law enforcement officials, specifically whether it violates officials’ constitutional rights to free speech, association and equal representation. The WLEA represents law enforcement officials across the state, including University of Wisconsin-Madison police.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice, headed by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, asked Markson to wait to proceed with the WLEA case until a state appeals court made a decision on a separate case considering whether Act 10’s denial of collective bargaining rights violated state education and governmental workers’ constitutional rights.
Markson’s decision to deny the state’s request means the case will proceed as normal.
