Leading areas of practice
Individual Liberties
WILL proudly fights for individual liberties guaranteed by our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Constitutional Government and Rule of Law
WILL is committed to guarding our constitutional system by standing up for federalism, the separation of powers, and oversight of the administrative state.
Economic Freedom
WILL proudly fights for the right to earn a living free from government interference.
Education Reform
WILL proudly fights for an education system that is student-centered and prioritizes the freedom of families to choose the best education for their children.
Equal Protection
WILL proudly fights for equal protection under the law as guaranteed by our Constitution.
Legal Areas of Focus
BALDWIN-WOODVILLE SCH. DIST.
The Baldwin-Woodville School District’s Board of Education went into closed session and voted to pay Christmas bonuses (essentially in lieu of pension and insurance payments the district could no longer make under Act 10). We filed an open meetings complaint with the Attorney General pointing out that the meeting was illegal, and he agreed.
NCTQ V. UW BD. OF REGENTS
The University of Wisconsin refused to turn over course syllabi and other documents in response to a records request. We filed a lawsuit, and obtained a settlement in which our clients were able to obtain everything they needed for their research into university education programs.
MACIVER V. ERPENBACH
State Senator Jon Erpenbach redacted the names of hundreds of people who contacted him regarding Act 10 from emails he produced in response to a records request. We sued and obtained a published decision from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals requiring him to release the names of public employees who wrote him.
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS V. WALKER
This challenge to the voter ID law argued that the presentation of an ID was an “additional qualification” to vote not permitted by the Wisconsin Constitution. In amicus briefs, WILL argued that it was not an additional qualification, but rather a method of establishing that a voter meets the existing qualifications. The court of appeals and supreme court agreed, upholding the law.
NAACP V. WALKER
This challenge to the voter ID law argued that it denied minorities the right to vote, because they were less likely to have an ID. We filed amicus briefs justifying the law by showing that voter fraud exists in Wisconsin and can swing local elections that are sometimes decided by single-digit margins. The supreme court upheld the law.
RICE V. MILW. CO. BD. 2013
The Milwaukee County Board voted in closed session to authorize collective bargaining (illegally, under Act 10), and travelled to Madison en masse to speak at a legislative hearing on a bill affecting the Board’s authority. We sued, arguing that both incidents violated the Open Meetings Law, but the judge disagreed.
KRUEGER V. APPLETON S.D.
Wisconsin school districts often form committees to review book selections for libraries and literature classes. Appleton Area School District didn’t hold those committee meetings in public, however, and we filed suit. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the district violated the Open Meetings Law.
COYNE V. WALKER
Even though the Wisconsin Constitution expressly says that the legislature can define the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s powers, the SPI ignored a 2011 law requiring agencies to get gubernatorial approval before implementing new rules. We filed an amicus brief urging the Wisconsin Supreme Court to apply the Constitution’s plain language, but the Court disagreed.