Wisconsin Weekly: Court rules against fake elector not recusing himself

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Wisconsin Weekly is a roundup of the week’s top stories from around the state by Wisconsin Watch and trusted news outlets. Access to some stories may be limited to subscribers of the news organizations that produced them. We urge our readers to consider supporting these important news outlets by subscribing, and sign up to get our free newsletters here.

Of note: In the latest blow against the 2020 election fake electors scheme, a Dane County judge ruled in a lawsuit filed a year ago the Wisconsin Elections Commission must revisit its decision from March 2022 to take no action against the 10 Wisconsin Republicans who cast fake Electoral College ballots for Trump. The reason: Robert Spindell was both a fake elector and member of the commission, but didn’t recuse himself. Don’t expect a different outcome, however. The commission’s unanimous decision cited a legal analysis from Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general acknowledging the Republicans thought they were preserving their legal options should evidence of election fraud emerge. The ruling comes after CNN revealed eight of Georgia’s 16 fake Republican electors from the 2020 election were granted immunity for their testimony in an investigation of Trump’s attempt to reverse the 2020 election result. Another lawsuit was filed in January against the 16 fake Michigan electors.

If you value this reporting, please consider contributing to our spring fundraising campaign.

Access to some stories listed in the Wisconsin Weekly roundup may be limited to subscribers of the news organizations that produced them. We urge our readers to consider supporting these important news outlets by subscribing.

Thanks for reading!

Elections

Judge: Wisconsin fake electors complaint must be reheard

The Associated Press — May 8, 2023

A Dane County judge ordered the Wisconsin Elections Commission to revisit its unanimous decision not to take action against fake Republican electors who claimed they were keeping former President Donald Trump’s legal options open when they gathered at the Capitol in December 2020. The decision bars commission member Robert Spindell from participating because he was one of the 10 fake electors.

Wisconsin election officials want to revive ‘critical’ plan

The Associated Press — May 8, 2023

The Wisconsin Elections Commission hopes Republicans restore a budget proposal to create a new inspector general that would address the large number of public records requests and election complaints the agency has received. The goal of the new division is shore up confidence in elections after the tumultuous 2020 election.

Child care

Vanessa Hanagan, an early childhood student teacher, reads to a group of children at Appletree Connections Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Appleton, Wis. Hanagan is studying early childhood education at Fox Valley Technical College. (Dan Powers / USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Should Wisconsin fund child care like it does roads? Here are some solutions to the child care crisis

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin — May 9, 2023

The Council for a Strong America estimates the child care crisis already costs Wisconsin families, businesses and governments a combined $1.9 billion every year. Potential solutions to a problem that affects every Wisconsinite include government grants to child care centers, making it easier for college students to work at child care centers and incentivizing private businesses to provide child care.

Public safety

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers holds up one of the two signed reckless driving bills he signed into law as he’s surrounded by family and friends of Milwaukee area pastor, Rev. Aaron Strong, including Strong’s wife, Abbie Strong (upper, second left), who was killed by a reckless driver. Evers signed the bills at The Grace Center in Milwaukee on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers holds up one of the two signed reckless driving bills he signed into law as he’s surrounded by family and friends of Milwaukee area pastor, Rev. Aaron Strong, including Strong’s wife, Abbie Strong (upper, second left), who was killed by a reckless driver. (Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Gov. Tony Evers signs 2 more reckless driving bills. Here is what to know about the new laws

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — May 10, 2023

The new laws would increase penalties for reckless driving and carjacking.

More from Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service:

Mental health

Pardeep Kaleka and Arno Michealis show temporary tattoos commemorating the date of the attack by a white supremacist gunman on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin that left six members dead, including Kaleka’s father. (Courtesy of Arno Michaelis)

A former Wisconsin white supremacist helps extricate Americans from violent hate groups

Mindsite News — May 2, 2023

In 2012, the son of an Oak Creek Sikh temple president who was gunned down by a white supremacist met with that hate group’s founder to begin a healing process. Since then they and many others have worked with former extremists to address their mental health issues.