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Evers grants additional pardons

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Governor Tony Evers has granted another 33 pardons. The new pardons granted this week brings the total to 107 during Evers’ first two years in office.

His predecessor, former Governor Scott Walker had discontinued the practice of granting pardons, which do not result in an expungement of a criminal record, but do restore some of the rights that are lost when someone is convicted of a felony.

The pardon application, instructions, and answers to frequently asked questions regarding the pardon process are located on the Governor’s website: www.evers.wi.gov/Pages/pardon-information.aspx.

The Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board will continue to meet virtually, monthly.

Two lawsuits against Wisconsin presidential election tossed by State Supreme Court

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The State Supreme Court has decided against taking up President Trump’s lawsuit against the state’s elections results.

In a 4 to 3 decision, the court said that they would not hear the President’s challenge.

Swing justice Brian Hagedorn sided with the liberals on the court, and said that the President needs to go through the normal court process in county courts first, before bringing the case to the Supreme Court. 

Attorney Jim Troupis says the campaign will file lawsuits in both Dane and Milwaukee Counties. 

Meanwhile, a private lawsuit alleging fraud in the Presidential election has also been tossed by the court. 

That lawsuit, filed by private citizen Dean Mueller, alleged that conspirators in the Trump Administration led by former cyber security director Chris Krebs orchestrated the placement of absentee ballot drop boxes which Mueller claimed were illegal and insecure.

That lawsuit was denied on Thursday, separately from the Trump Administration lawsuit which was also tossed out.

Justice Hagedorn again sided with the liberal justices on the court in the decision. 

In that denial, Chief Justice Patience Roggensack, Annette Zeigler and Rebecca Bradley said that the Supreme Court “cannot continue to shirk its institutional responsibilities to the people of Wisconsin.”

President-Elect Biden asks State Supreme Court to take part in defense of Trump elections lawsuit

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President-elect Joe Biden and the D-N-C are asking the State Supreme Court to let them argue in the Trump Campaign’s challenge to the state’s election.

In paperwork filed on Wednesday, President-elect Biden says that the Trump lawsuit represents a very real danger to the state electors that ought to be casting votes for him later this month after he won the state’s 10 electoral votes.

The motion says that Biden is not being represented in the case, due to the fact that the Trump Campaign has sued Governor Evers for signing the certification for the election.

The State Supreme Court has not yet scheduled a hearing for the lawsuit.

BBB urges caution when picking out gifts this Cyber Monday

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It’s Cyber Monday and many of us will be looking for deals online, but be careful.

The Better Business Bureau’s Bao Vang says scams are on the rise this time of year and she recommends caution. 

“If someone is splashing ‘sale’, ‘limited-time deals’ just think twice about whether this is luring you instead of actually being a legitimate sale.”

Vang says scams are on the rise this time of year and she recommends consumers do more reading, researching, and checking on both the products and the sellers before buying.

“Beware fake websites, boy there’s a lot out there–a lot of websites out there that are quickly made or can be put up relatively easily will mimic other sites can steal photos, images and products from other places.”

The National Retail Federation says consumers are predicted to spend just under $1,000 each this holiday season on gifts for friends and loved ones.

Conservative group files last minute lawsuit to prevent certification of Wisconsin votes

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A conservative group has filed a lawsuit to prevent the state from certifying the election results.

The lawsuit, filed by the Wisconsin Voters Alliance, seeks to have the State Supreme Court prevent the Elections Commission from certifying the results of the election and instead have the state legislature assign electors instead.

Among the claims in the lawsuit is a complaint that election grants from a non profit that has Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as a donor unduly influenced the results in several of Wisconsin’s largest cities. A federal judge already rejected the claims about the elections grants earlier this year when the same group tried to prevent the funding.

The group also alleges that there has been widespread abuse and fraud in how the state handles and issues absentee ballots.

The Court has ordered the Wisconsin Elections Commission to file briefs by Friday. The next business day would be Monday, November 30th, and the state’s votes need to be certified by December 1st.

Multiple lawsuits to prevent voting certification have already failed across the country. 

WILL files lawsuit against Dane County health order, County Executive Parisi says order is needed for public safety

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Dane County and Madison will be stepping up to defend their health department in a lawsuit against health orders.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty wants the State Supreme Court to directly strike down an order restricting indoor gatherings in Dane County.

WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg says the new order is invalid because the county board and city council did not vote on it. “The latest order from the health department in Dane County illustrates why a single, unelected and unaccountable health official should not be allowed to rule unilaterally by decree.”

“Banning private family gatherings just before Thanksgiving, while allowing Black Friday shopping, makes little sense.”

WILL is skipping Dane County Circuit Court entirely and asking the State Supreme Court to rule immediately on the lawsuit.

Dane County executive Joe Parisi says that Public Health Madison-Dane County has the authority to issue orders. “Our legal team is confident that we have the authority that’s been utilized by the city and the county and by the public health department and we will defend it vigorously in court.”

Parisi says this is just another effort to undermine health orders that are desperately needed to protect the public from COVID-19. “What they are attempting to do right now is to strike down the entire order and our ability to use the tools at our disposal to try to protect our community.”

“Let’s take a 30 day time out, let us get through two incubation cycles of the virus, and this could have a tangible impact on the spread, and provide some much-needed relief to our hospital system.”

Parisi says the city and the county will be defending the order vigorously in court. 

Vos wants committee to investigate allegations of elections fraud

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he wants a legislative committee to investigate allegations of elections fraud in Wisconsin.

Speaker Vos said in a statement late on Friday that he’s concerned about stories about ‘mail-in ballot dumps’ and an ‘inefficiency of Milwaukee’s central counting of absentee ballots’.

He wants the Assembly elections committee to investigate and possibly subpoena records. Vos also encouraged residents to volunteer for recounts.

Elections Commission administrator Meghan Wolfe said earlier this week that such allegations are “impossible” and that elections staff have followed the very stringent election laws that were put in place by the Legislature.

Marshfield’s police chief accused of sexually assaulting female police officer

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Marshfield’s police chief is now facing sexual assault charges.

The complaint filed by Jackson County Assistant District Attorney Jeri Marsolek details allegations from a female employee that Gramza sexually assaulted her in his office. The victim told an Eau Claire police investigator the assaults happened repeatedly during the past five years, but she was afraid to report them.

Gramza is being charged with felony misconduct in office and fourth degree sexual assault.

Mayor Bob McManus reacted, as he learned of the charges during his monthly appearance on a Marshfield radio station. “Now we’re just going to have to let the process take place. Now we know what the charges are, so now begins the legal issues that take place.”

Gramza has gone through multiple investigations this year, and has been on leave since August. The chief will make an initial appearance to the charges next month.

Wisconsin Republican party takes $2.5 million hit from cyberattack

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A cyberattack has resulted in more than two million dollars being stolen from the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

RPW Chairman Andrew Hitt said suspicious activity was first noticed a week ago, and the FBI  was notified after party officials confirmed $2.3 million was missing. Hitt said hackers lifted the cash by manipulating information in e-mails and invoices to vendors the party was using on the presidential campaign.

Hitt said the national party had warned state parties about potential cyberattacks, but  “Unfortunately, one slipped through the cracks.”

Rothschild police investigate hate mail sent to Joe Biden supporters

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Image taken from Facebook

Police in central Wisconsin are investigating after threatening letters were sent to the homes of Joe Biden supporters.

The Wausau Daily Herald reports that those letters turned up in the mailboxes of homes in the village of Rothschild which had Joe Biden signs in the yard.

The anonymous letters call the residents the enemy of a white and conservative neighborhood, and say that support for Joe Biden will not be tolerated. The letter goes on to call the residents evil, and that they should prepare for a war.

The letters were delivered through the mail and originated in Green Bay, but were personally written to each home.