Wisconsin
Wisconsin Supreme Court hearing case targeting swing state's top elections administrator
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday that could determine whether the swing state’s top elections official, who has been the target of disproven Republican election conspiracy theories, will remain in her post.
Republicans who control the state Senate tried to fire Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe last year, leading the commission to sue in an effort to keep Wolfe on the job.
The commission argues that the state Supreme Court should uphold a lower court’s ruling in Wolfe’s favor, which would allow her to remain in her position and not face a confirmation vote by the Senate.
But Republican lawmakers argue that the commission must appoint a commissioner, either Wolfe or someone else, so the Senate can vote on confirming that person. Wolfe can’t be allowed to remain in the position as a holdover, they contend.
Wolfe was first appointed for the nonpartisan position in 2018 and confirmed to a four-year term by the GOP-controlled state Senate in 2019. The commission is overseen by a bipartisan board that is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, and Wolfe is head of the nonpartisan staff.
Wolfe was targeted for removal by Republican lawmakers who were unhappy with the 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden. President-elect Donald Trump won Wisconsin this year, just as he did in 2016. Unlike after his loss in 2020, Trump backers are not alleging widespread fraud in this year’s election.
Wolfe was the subject of conspiracy theories and targeted by threats from election skeptics who falsely claim she was part of a plot to rig the 2020 vote in favor of Biden. Biden’s win by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin withstood two partial recounts, a nonpartisan audit, a conservative law firm’s review, and multiple state and federal lawsuits.
When Wolfe was up for reappointment in 2023, all six members of the commission voiced support for her. Three Republicans voted to reappoint, but the three Democrats abstained, resulting in a deadlocked vote. Had she gotten a fourth vote in support, her appointment would have been sent to the Senate, which then could have voted to fire her.
Even though her appointment was not forwarded to the Senate, Republican senators voted in September 2023 to fire Wolfe over objections from Democrats and the Legislature’s nonpartisan attorneys. They argued that the Senate didn’t have the authority to vote at that time because Wolfe was a holdover in her position and had not been reappointed.
The commission sued to challenge that Senate vote. Republican legislative leaders changed course and claimed in court filings that their vote to fire Wolfe was merely “symbolic” and had no legal effect.
Republicans asked the judge to order the elections commission to appoint an administrator for the Senate to vote on.
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Ann Peacock, in a 2023 ruling, said Wolfe is legally serving as administrator of the elections commission as a holdover given that the commission did not have a majority vote to appoint her. The Senate’s vote to remove her had no legal effect and the commission has no duty to appoint a new leader while Wolfe is serving as a holdover, Peacock ruled.
Republican leaders of the Legislature appealed and the state Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday. It will issue a decision weeks or months from now.
Wolfe was asked about the case during a news conference the day after this month’s election and whether she was committed to remaining in her position “for the long haul.” She made no promises.
“I’m completely committed to seeing through this election and making sure that this election is certified,” Wolfe said.
The state Senate is charged with voting on approving appointees such as Wolfe. However, the GOP majority starting in January will shrink from 22-11 to 18-15 as a result of this month’s election. That means Republicans can only lose one vote on their side and still have a majority.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin to get part of $149M settlement with Mercedes over emissions
Wisconsin will get $630,854 as part of a $149.6 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz Group AG to resolve long-running claims the German automaker sold vehicles equipped with illegal emissions defeat devices.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement Dec. 21 the state had joined a coalition of 48 states and Puerto Rico that sued Mercedes. The coalition accused the company of using the devices to make vehicles appear to comply with emissions tests when they actually broke emissions standards while they were on the road.
“Deceiving the public about vehicle emissions is unfair to consumers and harmful to the environment,” Kaul said in the statement. “This settlement brings accountability and relief for consumers.”
Mercedes allegedly sold over 211,000 diesel vehicles from 2008-2016 that contained devices designed to skirt the emissions standards, Kaul said. The settlement extends to the estimated 39,565 U.S. vehicles that had not been repaired or permanently removed from the road by August 2023, he said.
The automaker said in a statement the deal puts an end to its legal issues in the United States over the Dieselgate emissions scandal that was uncovered at Volkswagen in September 2015.
Under the settlement, Mercedes must pay $149.6 million and provide $2,000 payments to eligible owners and lessees whose vehicles received required emissions repairs. Mercedes also agreed to adopt a series of actions to prevent future misconduct and comply with oversight requirements.
As part of the settlement, Mercedes will send an approved notice to eligible owners and lessees of eligible vehicles with information on steps they can take to receive the available relief.
The companies must also comply with reporting requirements, reform their practices, and refrain from any further unfair or deceptive marketing or sale of diesel vehicles, including misrepresentations regarding emissions and compliance, Kaul said.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@usatodayco.com.
Wisconsin
Slippery roads expected Friday morning across Northeast Wisconsin
(WLUK) – Hazardous weathermaker is expected to impact holiday travel plans Christmas night into Friday morning, with a second round expected on Sunday. The forecast calls for definite icing by Friday morning. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for much of Northeast Wisconsin through 9 AM Friday.
Plan for freezing rain (icing) for most locations north and west of the Fox Valley. Areas including the Fox Valley and east can expect to see a mix of freezing rain and rain. Oconto County, Door County, and areas further north will see a mix of snow and sleet at times. Much of the precipitation will clear up by mid-morning Friday when the Winter Weather Advisories expire. However, we cannot rule out the possibility of freezing drizzle Friday afternoon.
No doubt, ice accumulations will take place, especially by Friday morning. Roughly a tenth of an inch of ice accumulations around HWY 29 and north, with a glaze of ice, south. These ice accumulations will likely lead to significant travel delays, including air travel. If you have travel plans Friday, it is best to avoid travel Friday morning. Travel conditions will be better by Friday afternoon, but not completely perfect.
A second weathermaker system is expected Saturday night through Monday. An arctic cold front is expected to sweep through the region Saturday, bringing colder and windy weather conditions, in addition to a wintry mix.
Precipitation will start off with light rain Saturday night, eventually falling as a mix with freezing rain early Sunday morning. Later in the day Sunday, precipitation will start to fall as snow with gusty northwest winds around 30 mph. Even gustier winds are expected by Monday.
The wintry mix Sunday will also lead to poor travel conditions for the region, including icy roadways and blowing and drifting snow.
Stay informed and safe during severe weather. Use our live interactive radar tools with custom overlays and alerts on Fox11online.com and our FOX 11 Weather App. Severe weather notifications on our app can be set to your specific location, even while traveling.
Have a great weather photo or video? We’d love you to share it! Upload it here, via our Chime In page.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin football hires new cornerbacks coach
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell made a notable change to his coaching staff this week, hiring Robert Steeples as the new cornerbacks coach and moving Paul Haynes to secondary coach.
Steeples spent the last two seasons as a defensive analyst at Iowa State. He’s been in the coaching ranks since 2016. After a brief NFL career, the former Memphis cornerback took the head coaching role at De Smet Jesuit High School (2016-20). He then jumped to the NFL level in 2021, joining the Minnesota Vikings as an assistant special teams coach. Steeples finally coached cornerbacks at LSU from 2022-23, before the latest move to Iowa State.
The new assistant will look to help improve a Wisconsin secondary corps that ranked No. 63 nationally in pass defense in 2025, allowing 218.3 yards per game. He will likely usher in turnover at his cornerback position, with Geimere Latimer set to enter the transfer portal and Ricardo Hallman likely off to the NFL.
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