Latest news with #TheWisconsinSupremeCourt
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wisconsin Supreme Court denies petition for review in Osceola Bluffs development case
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has denied a petition for review by members of the St. Croix Scenic Coalition in the Osceola Bluffs development case. The order, issued Thursday, means that the Wisconsin Court of Appeals' ruling is final, and developers can proceed with plans to build a 99-unit apartment complex in Osceola on the bluffs of the St. Croix River. 'We are pleased with the court's decision and look forward to moving ahead with the Osceola Bluffs development,' Village Administrator Devin Swanberg said in a statement. 'This project represents significant economic and community benefits for the Village, and we're excited to take the next steps.' Forest Lake-based developer Gaughan Cos. plans to build a new apartment complex on site of the former Osceola Medical Center, located at 301 River St., which has been vacant for more than 15 years. The St. Croix Scenic Coalition in December asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to review a November decision by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals stating that the St. Croix Scenic Coalition did not have standing to challenge the Village of Osceola's approval of the apartment complex. The appellate court reversed a Polk County Circuit Court judge's ruling in April 2024 that the proposed Osceola Bluffs Development violated state St. Croix River protections and impedes views along the river bluffs. The appellate court also instructed the circuit court to dismiss a petition challenging the Village's approval of the development. The circuit court on Friday 'officially dismissed the petition for writ of certiorari, closing the case and lifting the temporary restraining order on the property,' Swanberg said. Environment | Hazelden Betty Ford to open first clinic in Wisconsin Environment | Wisconsin appeals court overturns ruling allowing for emailing ballots to disabled voters Environment | St. Paul students cut the ribbon for the world's 200,000th Little Free Library Environment | Ontario premier backs down on US electricity hikes after speaking with Trump's commerce secretary Environment | Wisconsin boys state hockey: Late goals doom Amery in title game
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Wisconsin Supreme Court rules Republican official had no right to bring lawsuit challenging mobile voting
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a Republican Party official lacked the standing to bring a lawsuit challenging the use of a mobile voting van in 2022. The lawsuit sought to ban the use of mobile voting vans in any future election in the presidential battleground state. The court did not address the legality of mobile voting sites in its ruling, meaning mobile voting vans could be used in future elections. A single van has been used only once — in Racine in a primary election in 2022. It allowed voters to cast absentee ballots in the two weeks leading up to the election. Racine, the Democratic National Committee and others argue that nothing in state law prohibits the use of voting vans. But the court did not rule on the merits of the case. The court ruled 4-3 to dismiss the case, with four liberal justices in the majority and three conservative justices dissenting. Instead, it ruled that the Racine County voter who brought the lawsuit, the county's Republican Party chairman, Ken Brown, was not "aggrieved" under state law and therefore was not permitted to sue. The ruling could make it more difficult to bring future lawsuits challenging election laws. Republicans in this case argued that it violates state law to operate mobile voting sites, that their repeated use would increase the chances of voter fraud, and that the one in Racine was used to bolster Democratic turnout. Wisconsin law prohibits locating any early voting site in a place that gives an advantage to any political party. There are other limitations on early voting sites, including a requirement that they be "as near as practicable" to the clerk's office. For the 2022 election, Racine city Clerk Tara McMenamin and the city had a goal of making voting as accessible to as many voters as possible. Racine purchased its van with grant money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonprofit funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. Republicans have been critical of the grants, calling the money "Zuckerbucks" that they say was used to tilt turnout in Democratic areas. Wisconsin voters last year approved a Republican-backed constitutional amendment banning the use of private money to help run elections. The van was used only to facilitate early in-person voting during the two weeks prior to that 2022 election, McMenamin said. It traveled for two weeks across the city, allowing voters to cast in-person absentee ballots in 21 different locations. Brown filed a complaint the day after the August 2022 primary with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, arguing that the van violated state law. He argued that it was only sent to Democratic-leaning areas in the city in an illegal move to bolster turnout. McMenamin disputed those accusations, saying it shows a misunderstanding of the city's voting wards, which traditionally skew Democratic. The elections commission dismissed the complaint four days before the 2022 election, saying there was no probable cause shown to believe the law had been broken. Brown sued. A Racine County Circuit Court judge sided with Republicans, ruling that state election laws do not allow for the use of mobile voting sites.
