It gives Democrats and labor a powerful new weapon to make the case that Wisconsin Republicans deserved to be recalled because they abused the power of their office. The argument Dems and labor are making is that the decision by Senate Republicans to jam the rollback of bargaining rights through is precisely the kind of conduct that justifies the extraordinary step of recalling them. Now a court has pronounced that they violated state law.
He also argues that Republicans may have to take a second vote on the bill (it's now part of the budget bill) after the public clearly rejected it and a court ruled it a power grab. Writes Sargent,
Such a display of total deafness to public opinion would only reinforce impressions that these public officials have gone rogue and need to be dealt with by extraordinary means — and must be recalled.What happens next isn't clear. The state Supreme Court is scheduled to decide on June 6 whether to hear the case. But, according to The Huffington Post, Republican lawmakers declared legislative immunity, so they aren't a party to the case. That means they can't appeal.
Watch Dave Hansen here talk about how the Republicans backed away from their responsibilities to the middle class when they illegally rammed the colllective bargaining rights bill through the Legislature.
