Activist Judge Strikes Down Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Law — For Now

Government employee unions and their allies have tried just about everything to stop the efforts by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Republicans in the legislature to curb their collective bargaining privileges. Senate Democrats fled the state. Union activists held loud protests for weeks in Madison.

Then, after GOP collective bargaining measure passed, unions and their allies set out to replace a state Supreme Court judge with one likely to strike down the collective bargaining law, to no avail.

Now a liberal activist judge has struck down the collective bargaining law. At first sight, this may seem like a major victory for Wisconsin’s unions, but in fact their quiver is running low.

As The Washington Examiner‘s Philip Klein notes, “The ruling is likely moot, as the issue is expected to be decided by the state’s Supreme Court anyway.” With incumbent Republican Judge David Prosser still on the Court, the union’s prospects there don’t look too bright. (Prosser’s Democrat challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg has until May 31 to decide if she wants to challenge the election result, but even if she does her odds are not good.)