Free Republic

How could Wisconsin Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi do otherwise than strike down Gov. Scott Walker’s collective bargaining bill? Her son, remember, was a former field manager for both the Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO. Of course, Sumi promised her son’s prior affiliations wouldn’t affect her in any way. “My kids are adults, they are independent and they lead their own lives. I do not consult my family about my decisions,” she said in a statement in March, after conservative bloggers at Big Government and elsewhere first called the conflict to light. Maybe Sumi wasn’t biased against...

MADISON, Wis. — A judge has dismissed one of three lawsuits filed challenging Wisconsin's divisive law restricting collective bargaining rights. Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit filed by Democratic Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk saying she does not have standing to bring the action. The judge says state law forbids an agency or arm of government like a county to challenge the constitutionality of state laws. Another lawsuit brought by the Dane County district attorney remains. In that case, Sumi blocked enactment of the law earlier this month while she considers whether state open meetings...

A judge in Madison, Wis., on Thursday ruled a controversial law severely limiting the collective bargaining powers of public employee unions in the state was not in effect. Following a court hearing on March 29, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi issued a declaration on Thursday morning stating that the state officials had not followed correct procedures when they published the law "and is therefore not in effect."

Before wrapping up a brief hearing Wednesday, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi offered a word of caution to attorneys involved in high-profile lawsuits over collective bargaining in Wisconsin. Sumi said emotions are running high over two cases she is hearing regarding Gov. Scott Walker's plan to eliminate most collective bargaining for public workers. That "spirited debate" is important in a democracy, but attorneys must keep in mind their professional ethics, Sumi said. "They all have a responsibility to promote and not denigrate the judicial branch and, more importantly, the rule of law," she said. She advised lawyers to review...

A Wisconsin judge has challenged the state in its showdown over an explosive union bargaining law as she ordered lawmakers to put the law on hold. Republican lawmakers pushed through passage of the law earlier this month despite massive protests that drew up to 85,000 people to the state Capitol and a boycott by Democratic state senators. Opponents immediately filed a series of lawsuits that resulted in further chaos that might not end until the state Supreme Court weighs in. Apparently she was ignored the first time: Maryann Sumi reiterates her temporary restraining order barring further implementation of 2011 Wisconsin...

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi late Friday denied a Madison School District request to force teachers back into classrooms Monday.