MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on a judge blocking Wisconsin Republicans’ lame-duck laws (all times local):
1:10 p.m.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has filed a motion to withdraw the state from an ongoing federal lawsuit seeking repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
Kaul filed the motion Thursday after fellow Democrat, Gov. Tony Evers, ordered him to withdraw Wisconsin from the lawsuit.
Kaul had been blocked from taking action under a law passed by the Republican Legislature in a lame-duck session shortly before he took office. But a Dane County circuit judge on Thursday ruled that the laws were unconstitutionally passed, giving Evers and Kaul a window to take action.
Republicans say they will appeal the ruling, which could result in a higher court putting Thursday’s decision on hold.
Both Kaul and Evers campaigned on wanting to withdraw from the multi-state lawsuit.
--
12:20 p.m.
Gov. Tony Evers is pulling Wisconsin out of a multistate lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act after a judge blocked lame-duck laws prohibiting him from withdrawing the state from legal actions.
Evers had promised during his campaign last year to pull Wisconsin out of the ACA lawsuit. Republican lawmakers stopped him cold, though, after passing lame-duck bills in December that prohibited him from withdrawing from lawsuits without legislative approval.
Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess issued a temporary injunction Thursday blocking the lame-duck laws, ruling that the Legislature had convened illegally when it passed them.
Evers’ attorney sent a message to the state Department of Justice less than two hours after Niess issued the ruling ordering the withdraw from the ACA action.
