Dane County can’t sue the state of Wisconsin over the collective bargaining law. Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi dismisses a lawsuit filed by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
The outgoing executive cites constitutional violations in her challenge of the controversial law that limits the ability of public employees to collectively bargain. Sumi says the county, the county executive, and the county board chairman do not have the authority to challenge the constitutionality of state laws.
However, an open meetings lawsuit filed by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne is still pending before the judge. In her decision, Sumi wrote, “The answers are straightforward: the district attorney has explicit statutory authority to enforce the open meetings law; Dane County does not.”