Free Republic

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority struck down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban on Wednesday, ruling 4-3 that it was superseded by newer state laws regulating the procedure, including statutes that criminalize abortions only after a fetus can survive outside the womb.The ruling came as no surprise given that liberal justices control the high court. One of them went so far as promising to uphold abortion rights during her campaign two years ago, and they blasted the ban during oral arguments in November. The statute Wisconsin legislators adopted in 1849, widely interpreted as a near-total ban...

The White House has demanded that Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) apologize for a social media post in which he told White House official Stephen Miller, who is Jewish, to “go back to 1930s Germany." White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly condemned the comment, calling it “absolutely disgusting.” She added, "Mark Pocan must apologize, not only to Stephen but to his constituents and seek professional help." Kelly also noted that such “crazed antisemitic hatred” emboldens extremists to target Jewish Americans. The comment came after Miller, who serves as the deputy chief of staff for policy, made a statement about New...

<p>To paraphrase the late Freedom Center founder David Horowitz: scratch a tolerant, inclusive, compassionate “liberal” and just underneath the surface you’ll find a raging, totalitarian racist and antisemite. Wisconsin Democrat Congressman Marc Pocan is the latest example of this ugly truth.</p>

The White House lashed out at a House Democrat who wrote on X that Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller — who is Jewish — should “go back to 1930’s Germany.” “What an absolutely disgusting comment from a Congressman to a Jewish WH official,” Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly wrote on X on Thursday, quoting Rep. Mark Pocan’s (D-Wis.) post. “Pocan must apologize — not just to Stephen, but to his constituents — and then seek professional help. This crazed antisemitic hatred from Dems emboldens radicals to target Jewish Americans.” Pocan’s Wednesday post was a response to one by Miller...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to hear challenges brought by Democrats seeking to throw out the battleground state’s current congressional district boundaries before the 2026 midterms.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court handed a victory to the Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday in a power struggle with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The court, in a unanimous ruling where the four liberal justices joined with three conservatives, struck down Evers' partial veto of a Republican bill in a case that tested both the limits of his broad veto powers and the Legislature's ability to exert influence by controlling funding. The court also ruled that the Legislature can put money for certain state programs into an emergency fund under the control of its budget committee. Evers had argued such a move...

Federal prosecutors say Judge Hannah C. Dugan helped the man evade immigration agents who were waiting in a Milwaukee courthouse to arrest him. Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, became an inadvertent figure in the debate over immigration enforcement when federal prosecutors charged a Milwaukee judge this spring with obstruction and said she had helped him evade immigration officials.On Monday, a plea agreement was made public in the immigration case against Mr. Flores-Ruiz. The documents, signed on June 20, say he has agreed to plead guilty to entering the United States illegally after being removed from the country in...

Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan’s trial date has been removed from the calendar as the court reviews her motion to dismiss the case. As you probably recall, Judge Dugan was indicted last month for obstructing an ICE arrest after she tried to hide an illegal aliens from immigration authorities in her courtroom.

A bear shot in Alaska last year officially set the new world record for a hunter-killed grizzly and is a stunning trophy, an expert Wyoming hunter said. It’s definitely not a “meathead” bear, Guy Eastman of Cody — who has hunted grizzlies in Alaska and Canada — told Cowboy State Daily. He was referring to how sometimes bears can have large heads, but only average-sized skulls. And skull measurements are what determine a bear’s trophy status. Brian van Lanen shot the male bear, estimated to be 20-25 years old, in September 2024. He was guided on a combination moose and...

The Supreme Court has ordered New York courts to reconsider Diocese of Albany v. Harris, a case challenging New York’s abortion mandate, in light of Becket’s unanimous victory in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission. In 2017, a group of Catholic and Anglican nuns, Catholic dioceses, Christian churches, and faith-based social ministries challenged New York’s mandate forcing them to pay for employees’ abortions. After New York courts declined to protect the faith groups, Becket and Jones Day asked the Supreme Court to step in. In 2021, the Justices reversed the lower courts’ rulings and told them...

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D, Gay, WI) was named on a list recovered from the vehicle of a man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and injuring another lawmaker and his wife. Baldwin is one of nearly 70 names who reportedly appear on the list. The Associated Press reports that other people on the list include state and federal lawmakers as well as abortion rights advocates. "Senator Baldwin was informed by law enforcement that she was included on the alleged shooter’s list of names," Baldwin's Communications Director Eli Rosen told Channel3000.com in a statement. "She is grateful for...

Audrey vanished in 1962 after a babysitter said they took a bus from Madison to Indianapolis. She was never seen again, until she resurfaced 60 years later at age 82A woman who vanished 60 years ago has been found alive at the age of 82, leaving her family and authorities stunned. Audrey Backberg, who disappeared from her Wisconsin home in 1962, has resurfaced, claiming she has “no regrets" about her decision. Audrey was just 20 years old when she vanished. Her disappearance led to a frantic search by her family and local police, which eventually turned into a ‘cold...

MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department is connecting with protest organizers to ensure peaceful demonstrations this weekend. "It's a very open and fluid conversation just to make sure that we have all the details ironed out," said Acting Madison Police Chief John Patterson. Saturday is being called "Day of Defiance" as people in several states host "No Kings" rallies to protest ICE raids along with President Donald Trump's polices. Acting Chief Patterson says the department has been working alongside organizers for days. "We've been in touch with the event organizer on Saturday. There's been great application and back and...

Prosecutors in Wisconsin have just filed an unusual document with a court: They explained that just because a person is a judge, that doesn’t mean she gets a free pass to break the law. That earlier was the stunning claim from Hannah Dugan, a now-suspended judge, arguing that prosecutors weren’t even allowed to bring a case against her after evidence showed she distracted federal agents, then let an illegal alien criminal walk out of the courthouse. Dugan’s claim was that she has absolutely immunity for whatever she does in her courtroom – even in the courthouse building. A report at...

The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group in a case centered on unemployment tax credits for religious institutions – delivering a victory for faith-based institutions, who had argued the state's decision had violated the religious clauses under the First Amendment. In a unanimous opinion, justices on the high court agreed that the state had engaged in an "unnecessary entanglement" in attempting to define whether religious groups should be entitled to an otherwise-available tax exemption based on the state’s criteria for religious behavior. "When the government distinguishes among religions based on theological differences in their provision...

Residents living across a huge area spanning three states have been warned of dangerous air pollution levels on Tuesday. Swathes of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin are all affected by poor air quality, with an area around Minneapolis covered by one of the most severe warnings. Smoke from wildfires, combined with the current weather conditions, have contributed to the pollution. Why It Matters Health officials warn that vulnerable populations — such as children, older adults and individuals with existing respiratory issues — face heightened risks during periods of poor air quality. Even healthy members of the general public may experience health...

A bipartisan group of more than 130 retired judges filed a brief Friday urging a federal court to drop charges against Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan, saying her arrest undermines "centuries of precedent on judicial immunity." Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit court judge, was arrested April 25 by FBI agents on federal allegations she prevented the arrest of a man by immigration authorities during a federal law enforcement operation at her courthouse. The man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, was arrested and detained at an immigration detention center. In an amicus brief filed Friday, the group of judges argue that Dugan shouldn't be prosecuted...

MADISON, WI -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended Dane County Judge Ellen Berz for a week following a complaint brought by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission. Berz will be suspended without pay starting June 26. The Commission alleged that Berz violated multiple parts of the Code of Judicial Ethics and then admitted to said violations. The Commission specifically referenced two incidents, one on May 31, 2019 and another on Dec. 13, 2021, in its complaint against Berz. During the 2019 incident, Berz allegedly used sarcasm towards a defendant and admonished him for asking to move a trial date saying...

A private attorney who worked as an attorney and public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced she is running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The announcement follows another former Planned Parenthood’s successful bid to be elected to the same state Supreme Court earlier this year. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor is running to unseat current Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, who is running for reelection. Taylor has spent her career as a private attorney, judge, state legislator, and an attorney and pubic policy director for Planned Parenthood. She implied she may not...

Friday, in a clip that aired on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Big” was unacceptable in its current form, as passed by the House of Representatives. Johnson told a reporter on Capitol Hill, “I couldn’t care less if he’s upset. I’m concerned about my children, my grandchildren, and the fact that we are stealing from them. We are stealing from our children and grandchildren. $37 trillion in debt, and we’re going to add to it as Republicans? That is unacceptable.” He added, “And that’s why there’s no way I’m going to...