A lawsuit has been filed in an effort to overturn a new state law that can force school districts to change race-based mascots. The lawsuit, filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Wednesday, challenges the constitutionality of the law that requires districts to prove race-based team names and logos are no racist.
Milwaukee-based Attorney Sam Hall says the two men behind the lawsuit live in the Mukwonago district, where there’s a challenge to the school’s current “Indians” nickname.
Hall says they believe the law is flawed because one person can make a complaint to the state Department of Public Instruction, and then the state conducts a review. He says the general public doesn’t have a chance to weigh in during that time.
Hall adds that changing mascots and nicknames is an expensive proposition for schools, with estimates that it would cost the Mukwonago district as much as $100,000.
Hall says they’re also seeking an injunction that would stop the state from enforcing the mascot law while the lawsuit is being considered.