Wisconsin Judge to Voters: “Drop Dead”

Openmarket.org

Who needs elections when you have judges?

In Wisconsin, the voters have decided to reform their state’s collective bargaining laws. They did so by, 1) electing a governor, Scott Walker, who promised to do just that, 2) electing representatives to the state legislature who approved and passed the governor’s reforms, and 3) ratifying those reform by re-electing Walker in a union-initiated recall election in June 2012.

Case closed, right? Wrong. On Friday, September 14, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Juan Colas, in his infinite wisdom, struck down Walker’s reform law in response to a legal challenge brought by a union representing Madison teachers and city employees from Milwaukee. Reuters reports:

Colas ruled that eliminating collective bargaining rights for municipal employees including teachers violated the workers’ right to free speech, association and equal protection.

He also ruled that the law’s requirement that Milwaukee city workers make pension contributions violated a home-rule provision in the state constitution.

http://www.openmarket.org/2012/09/17/wisconsin-judge-to-voters-drop-dead/