Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Act 10 has been overturned. Here’s what to know about the controversial law.

Published

1 year ago

December 2, 2024

Wisconsin’s Act 10 has been overturned. Here’s what to know about the controversial law.

Collective bargaining rights of public employees in Wisconsin were restored Monday in a ruling by Dane County Judge Jacob Frost.

Public employee unions largely lost their ability to collectively bargain in 2011 with the passage of Act 10.

Here’s a look back at the origins of Act 10 — and the possibility of Frost’s ruling being challenged and ending up before the Wisconsin Supreme Court:

What is Act 10?

Shortly after being elected governor in November 2010, Scott Walker introduced what would become his signature piece of legislation, essentially ending collective bargaining rights for public employee unions in Wisconsin.

Act 10 ended the ability of most public-sector unions to negotiate over any issues other than raises, and those raises were capped at the rate of inflation. In addition, unions were required to hold annual elections to maintain their ability to negotiate for those raises. For those elections, they must win a majority of all eligible members, not just those who cast votes.

The measure cut public workers’ paychecks and siphoned off most of the strength of their unions.

Public workers earning $50,000 a year saw their take-home pay shrink by about 8.5% because they had to pay more for their benefits, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau at the time.

How much money did Act 10 save taxpayers?

PolitiFact Wisconsin previously checked Walker’s claim that Act 10 has “saved the taxpayers some $3 billion.” We rated that quote, from summer 2014, Mostly True.

At that point, there had been about $2.35 billion in savings associated with retirement and about $682 million associated with health insurance — though that incomplete number leaves out municipalities.

When public employee unions launched the lawsuit last November, Republican lawmakers cited an estimate that Act 10 has saved Wisconsin taxpayers over $16.8 billion.

PolitiFact Wisconsin investigated that claim and found that number came from the MacIver Institute, a conservative think tank. That number fell in line with previous reports and studies from other groups, though little research has been conducted on the subject in the past two years.

And as previously noted, the costs didn’t simply disappear. Rather, they were transferred from other taxpayers to public employees, who also pay taxes and now pay a higher share of their retirement funding and health-care costs.

How did Frost justify overturning Act 10?

Act 10 immediately affected public school teachers’ unions. It also ended unions at UW Health. It didn’t, however, unilaterally apply to public safety employees, a point noted by Frost.

“Rational basis review provides a simple premise,” Frost wrote in a July ruling that denied a motion filed by the Republican-controlled Legislature to dismiss the case. “Can you explain a law’s differing treatment of different groups in a way that makes sense and supports a public policy? If not, the different treatment is irrational and violates the right to equal protection of the laws.

“Because nobody could provide this Court an explanation that reasonably showed why municipal police and fire and State Troopers are considered public safety employees, but Capitol Police, UW Police and conservation wardens, who have the same authority and do the same work, are not.”

That unequal treatment of public safety employees remained at the heart of Frost’s ruling Monday.

How did lawmakers and the public respond to Act 10?

Walker announced his plan to curb union rights in February 2011. He believed he would be able to push the legislation through the GOP-controlled Legislature in a week. Democratic lawmakers foiled his plan by heading to Illinois to delay a vote.

In their absence, tens of thousands of people protested at the Capitol daily.

In March, Democrats returned to Madison and a vote approving the legislation that would become known as Act 10 would pass the Legislature and was signed into law. Act 10 took effect in June 2011.

Consequently, Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and 13 state senators faced recalls over Act 10 — 10 Republicans and three Democrats. Most incumbents won, but Democrats managed to unseat three Republicans. That was enough to give them control of the Senate in summer 2012, but the victory came when the Legislature was out of session and was short-lived. Republicans took back the majority that fall.

Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall challenge. Kleefisch became the first lieutenant governor to face one, as well as the first to survive one.

Act 10 saved taxpayers money. How was it also political?

Reining in the political power of unions was part of the plan behind Act 10, as Scott Fitzgerald, who was the majority leader of the state Senate, made clear at the time.

“If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you’re going to find is President (Barack) Obama is going to have a much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin,” Fitzgerald, who was elected to Congress last year, told Fox News in 2011.

What does Walker think about Frost’s ruling?

While no longer in office, Walker responded to Frost’s decision on X, calling it “brazen political activism.”

“This makes the April 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race that much more important. We want a state where legislators and the governor make the laws, not the courts?” Walker said.

“Collective bargaining is not a right. It is an expensive entitlement,” Walker said in a second tweet.

What happens to Act 10 next?

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) agreed with Walker and promised an appeal.

“This lawsuit came more than a decade after Act 10 became law and after many courts rejected the same meritless legal challenges,” Vos said. “Act 10 has saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than $16 billion. We look forward to presenting our arguments on appeal.”

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Jessica Van Egeren is a reporter and assistant breaking news editor with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com.

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Wisconsin

8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash

Published

11 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash

RICHMOND TOWNSHIP, Wis. (FOX 9) – A crash in western Wisconsin killed an 8-year-old boy and seriously injured a 27-year-old Wednesday morning.

Fatal crash in Richmond Township, Wisconsin

What we know:

According to St. Croix County, just before 10 a.m., deputies responded to a crash on the 1500 block of County Road A.

Authorities say that a 27-year-old woman was driving a van southbound, and lost control on an icy curve and collided with another vehicle.

The woman suffered serious injuries from the crash and was taken to the hospital to be treated, law enforcement said. The boy was critically injured, and was also taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Both were wearing seat belts during the crash.

The driver of the other vehicle was treated for minor injuries at the scene and was released.

This is the 10th traffic fatality in St. Croix County.

What we don’t know:

The current condition of the woman is unknown.

The Source: A press release from St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office.

Road incidentsWisconsin

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Wisconsin

Judge refuses call from Trump’s former Wisconsin lawyer to step away from fake elector case

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Judge refuses call from Trump’s former Wisconsin lawyer to step away from fake elector case

A Wisconsin judge has denied a request from former Trump attorney Jim Troupis to step down from his felony forgery case.
Troupis, along with Kenneth Chesebro and Mike Roman, faces felony charges for his alleged role in the 2020 fake elector scheme.
The charges stem from an alleged attempt to create and deliver false elector paperwork claiming Donald Trump won Wisconsin.

MADISON – A Wisconsin judge is refusing calls from President Donald Trump’s former campaign attorney to step down from a case accusing the attorney of felony forgery charges over his alleged role in a scheme to overturn the 2020 election result.

Dane County Circuit Judge John Hyland on Tuesday rejected a motion from Jim Troupis, a former Dane County judge who represented Trump’s 2020 campaign in Wisconsin, to step down from the case. Troupis alleged judicial misconduct.

Hyland also rejected a motion to postpone a Monday hearing in the case, according to court records.

Troupis argued Hyland should step aside because Troupis believed retired Dane County Judge Frank Remington actually wrote a previous order in the case, according to the Associated Press. Troupis alleged that Remington had ill will against Troupis. Hyland said Remington did not help write the order and rejected the motion.

In 2024, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed felony charges against Troupis, Kenneth Chesebro, a Wisconsin native and lead architect of the 2020 elector scheme, and former Trump aide Mike Roman, who allegedly delivered Wisconsin’s slate of false elector paperwork to a Pennsylvania congressman’s staffer to get them to Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6, 2021.

The three face 11 charges relating to felony forgery and forgery meant to defraud the Republican electors who cast their ballots for Trump, even though Joe Biden, a Democrat, won the state’s presidential election. Each of the 11 charges against the men carries the same maximum penalty of six years in prison, in addition to a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint against Troupis, Chesebro and Roman, most of the Trump electors said they did not consent to having their signatures presented as if Trump had won the state without a court ruling saying so. The complaint also describes how Chesebro, Troupis and Roman allegedly created a fake document that said Trump won Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral College votes and then attempted to deliver it to Pence for certification.

Federal prosecutors have said the fake electors plot originated in Wisconsin.

Biden beat Trump by about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. Trump sought recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties, which confirmed Biden’s win. Trump sued and the state Supreme Court upheld the results on a 4-3 vote on Dec. 14, 2020. Troupis represented the Trump campaign in the case.

Less than an hour later, Democrats met in the state Capitol to cast the state’s 10 electoral votes for Biden.

At the same time, the Republican fake electors gathered in another part of the Capitol to fill out paperwork claiming Trump had won.

They submitted their filings to Congress, the National Archives, a federal judge and then-Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette. Chesebro was in the room during the meeting.

At the time, the fake electors said they held the meeting only to ensure the state’s electoral votes were cast for Trump if a court later determined he was the true winner of the state.

In efforts to have the case dismissed, Troupis claimed the electors met and cast their ballot only to preserve their legal options, in case the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Trump the winner of Wisconsin, arguing no crime was committed.

The 10 electors have not been criminally charged related to the fake documents. The group settled a lawsuit in 2023 filed by the real Biden electors against them over their role in the scheme. As a part of the settlement, the false electors acknowledged their actions were used in an attempt to overturn an election.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.

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Wisconsin

NCAA women’s hockey power rankings: Wisconsin overpowers Ohio State

Published

2 days ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

NCAA women’s hockey power rankings: Wisconsin overpowers Ohio State

Ian Kennedy
| The Hockey News

The University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team might have the best goaltender, best defender and best offensive depth in the nation right now. They proved it this weekend, sweeping their series against No. 2 Ohio State.

Princeton was the biggest climber in this week’s NCAA women’s hockey power rankings, finding its way into the top 10 after beating a pair of nationally ranked programs, while Cornell dropped both of its games.

North America’s top players will head to Edmonton, Alberta, this week for the Canadian leg of the Rivalry Series, while NCAA players from Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Czechia are headed overseas to compete in the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour, their last chance to perform internationally ahead of the 2026 Olympics in February.

Here are the top 10 NCAA women’s hockey programs this week.

Women’s college hockey power rankings

1. University of Wisconsin (WCHA)

After sweeping Ohio State 2-1 and 6-1, Wisconsin entrenched its claim to the top spot in the nation. Ava McNaughton stopped 60 of 62 shots and was perhaps the biggest difference between the teams. Right now, the only thing between Wisconsin and back-to-back titles is their ability to weather the Olympics, where as many as six members of their lineup will be in action.

2. Ohio State (WCHA)

Ohio State had its chance against No. 1 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes weren’t significantly outshot or outplayed but still got swept. Joy Dunne and Hilda Svensson, November’s WCHA forward and rookie of the month, respectively, were held without a goal. It was Ohio State’s only chance to show it can beat Wisconsin best-on-best, as the next time the teams face off in early February, they will be without their Olympians.

3. University of Minnesota (WCHA)

Whether it was Abbey Murphy, Josefin Bouveng, Sydney Morrow or Jamie Nelson, Minnesota’s seniors made the difference in a pair of conference wins over St. Thomas. Bouveng is tied with Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey for the longest point streak in the nation, hitting the scoresheet in 17 consecutive games, while Murphy set a program record, scoring her 26th career game-winning goal.

4. University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)

Eve Gascon stopped 50 of 51 shots she faced for the Bulldogs, which beat Bemidji State 4-1 and 4-0. Gascon’s 20-save shutout was her fourth of the season. She had something to prove after being left off Canada’s Rivalry Series roster for December. Offensively, Minnesota-Duluth has work to do after being outshot by Bemidji State in the first game of their series, but they looked much stronger in the second.

5. Penn State (Atlantic Hockey America)

Penn State doesn’t play again until Dec. 30, but their next three games will define their season, playing Cornell and a series against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions don’t face the same skill level in Atlantic Hockey America, so these upcoming games will be an important test ahead of the national tournament, which they’ll host at Pegula Ice Arena from March 20 to 22.

6. Northeastern (Hockey East)

It was an emotional weekend as Northeastern played its final game at the historic Matthews Arena. Captain Lily Shannon was Hockey East’s player of the month in November. Jules Constantinople was the top defender and forward Stryker Zablocki was the top rookie in November as well. They carried a hot streak over into this weekend’s series sweep of Boston College, helping lead the way for the Huskies.

7. Quinnipiac (ECAC)

After shutting out Cornell 3-0, the Bobcats lost 2-1 in overtime to Colgate in an upset. The Bobcats can find their way out of the ECAC logjam if they can consistently produce secondary offense. The team relies too heavily on Kahlen Lamarche as the primary goal-scorer. Right now, their best threats behind Lamarche are often defenders Makayla Watson and Zoe Uens.

8. Cornell (ECAC)

Cornell fell 3-0 to Quinnipiac and 3-2 to Princeton. Annelies Bergmann looked human in net, allowing three goals on 18 shots in both games. Cornell entered the weekend second in the nation in goals-against average at 1.64. That number rose this weekend, and after Cornell losses to Vermont, Syracuse and Union last month, teams believe they can beat the Big Red on any given night.

9. Connecticut (Hockey East)

UConn continues to quietly put together wins, including going 1-for-2 against Boston University this past weekend. They tied the first game but lost in a shootout. Scoring continues to be their challenge as some of their top players, including Claire Murdoch and Julia Pellerin, have yet to find their way this season. Tia Chan remains Connecticut’s biggest asset in net.

10. Princeton (ECAC)

Beating Colgate and Cornell this week, Princeton’s leaders were Mackenzie Alexander and 2026 PWHL Draft prospect Issy Wunder. It often takes Ivy League schools longer to hit their stride in NCAA women’s hockey as they start their season a month later than the rest of the nation. Princeton may still be scratching the surface of its potential this season.

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