MADISON, Wis. —
A Wisconsin judge on Friday struck down the state law championed by Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers.
It was not clear if the ruling means the law is immediately suspended. The law took away nearly all collective bargaining rights from most workers and has been in effect for more than a year.
Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas ruled that the law violates both the state and U.S. Constitution and is null and void. The ruling comes after a lawsuit brought by the Madison teachers union and a union for Milwaukee city employees.
Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said he was confident the decision will be overturned on appeal.
“We believe the law is constitutional,” said Department of Justice spokeswoman Dana Brueck.
Lester Pines, an attorney for Madison Teachers Inc., did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The proposal was introduced shortly after Walker took office in February last year. It resulted in a firestorm of opposition and led to huge protests at the state Capitol that lasted for weeks. All 14 Democratic state senators fled the state to Illinois for three weeks in an ultimately failed attempt to stop the law’s passage from the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Anger over the law’s passage led to an effort to recall Walker from office. More than 930,000 signatures were collected triggering the June recall election. Walker won and became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall.
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Judge strikes down Wisconsin law limiting union rights
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Huge tornado hits Oklahoma City suburb, kills at least 51
A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph. At least 51 people were killed, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.
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Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
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A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph. At least 37 people were killed, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.
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Alan Marble, Crowder College president, to retire
After 27 years with Crowder College, President Alan Marble has announced his plans to retire on June 30, the formal end of the academic year. “It’s just the right time,” Marble, 58, said in a telephone interview Monday morning. “I’ve enjoyed, I think, every minute of these 27 years, but it’s time to move on to the next challenge.”
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Joplin sends team to help Moore
A team of public safety workers from Joplin were deployed Monday night to assist in Moore, Okla.
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Power lines, trees down in Seneca area
Power lines and some trees are down in Newton County, mainly along Highway 60 in the Seneca area and western part of the county, said Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland.
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Trees down, power outages reported in Barton County
High winds in Lamar blew down trees but Lamar police do not know the extent of the damage, a spokesman said.
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Residents report damage along 130 Road in Ottawa County
Stan Willcox said he and his family were heading from their house in rural Ottawa County, Okla., into the cellar when the storm moved through earlier this evening. He said he and his family are OK.
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Damage being reported in Ottawa County
The Ottawa County, Okla., Sheriff’s Department has received reports of damage from a tornado or high winds along 130 Road near Wyandotte.
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Huge tornado hits Oklahoma City suburb, kills 37
A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods with winds up to 200 mph, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. At least 37 people were reported killed.
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