Research & Commentary
WILL continues to drive the legal and policy conversations facing Americans in Wisconsin and across the country!Op-Eds By
Rick Esenberg
Will Flanders
Dan Lennington
Luke Berg
Lucas Vebber
Cory Brewer
Skylar Croy
Lauren Greuel
Cara Tolliver
Nathalie Burmeister
Noah Diekemper
Miranda Spindt
Shannon Whitworth
Rick Esenberg
President and General Counsel
2024
2023
- National Review | “Renominating Trump Could Cause a Dangerous Chain Reaction” – August 29, 2023 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- National Review | “How Trump Could Be Saved by the Right to Lie” – August 9, 2023 – Rick Esenberg
- National Review | “The Struggle for Legal Equality Isn’t Over Yet” – July 20, 2023 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
2022
- National Review | “Biden’s Student-Loan Action Is Obviously Unconstitutional. So Why Can’t Anyone Stop It?” – October 21, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- The Federalist | “Another Racist Biden Program Looks To Help Anyone But Whites” – October 10, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- National Review | “Wisconsin Democrats Abandon the Rule of Law to Protect Abortion” – July 5, 2022 – Rick Esenberg
- Oshkosh Northwestern | “Opinion: WILL represented students in a Title IX investigation by the Kiel School District. We didn’t use the ‘chaos’ to bully anybody.” – June 10, 2022 – Rick Esenberg
- The Wall Street Journal | “The Pronoun Police Come for Middle Schoolers” – May 23, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Luke Berg
- Oshkosh Northwestern | “The problem that supporters of Roe v. Wade could never solve: There is no right to abortion in the Constitution.” – May 3, 2022 – Rick Esenberg
- National Review | “Why We Must Fight Biden’s Equity Agenda” – April 16, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
2021
- The Federalist | “The ACLU Has It Backward: Schools Should Worry About Being Sued For Teaching Critical Race Theory” – August 12, 2021 – Rick Esenberg
- The Hill | “Act 10 benefited education in Wisconsin — and may empower workers elsewhere” – July 23, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Will Flanders
- RealClearEducation | “Critical Race Theory Has No Place in American Schools” – June 14, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- The Cap Times | “Rick Esenberg and Daniel Lennington: Wisconsin’s race-based scholarships amount to state-sponsored race discrimination” – April 29, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- National Review | “Why ‘Equity’ Is a Bad Fit for Our Legal System” – April 11, 2021 – Rick Esenberg
- The Cap Times | “Rick Esenberg and Daniel Lennington: Evers’ COVID-19 executive orders have highlighted flaws in Wisconsin law” – March 1, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
2020
- Oshkosh Northwestern | “Opinion: I have my issues with Donald Trump. Here’s why I’m sticking with him.” – October 16, 2020 – Rick Esenberg
- Urban Milwaukee | “Legal Group WILL Opposes Pandemic” – September 18, 2020 – Rick Esenberg, Will Flanders, & Don Daughterty
- Wisconsin State Journal | “Rick Esenberg: Gov. Evers’ emergency COVID-19 declaration violates the law” – August 26, 2020 – Rick Esenberg
2019
2018
- Urban Milwaukee | “Liberals All Wrong on Early Voting Law” – December 20, 2018 – Rick Esenberg
- Fox News | “Colleges should stop trying to ‘protect’ students from free speech in violation of the Constitution” – September 13, 2018 – Rick Esenberg
- RealClearEducation | “Trump Should Rescind Obama Guidance on School Discipline” – July 9, 2020 – Rick Esenberg
- Washington Examiner | “What will Janus do? Look at Wisconsin” – July 3, 2018 – Rick Esenberg & Collin Roth
- RealClearPolitics | “Why the Supreme Court Punted in Redistricting Case” – June 19, 2018 – Rick Esenberg
- The Federalist | “The Masterpiece Ruling Is A Win For Free Speech, If Nothing Else” – June 14, 2018 – Rick Esenberg
- The Weekly Standard | “How Opponents of School Choice in Wisconsin Weaponized the Justice Department” – May 16, 2018 – Rick Esenberg & CJ Szafir
- The Federalist | “Marquette Case Will Say Whether Colleges Can Break Contract To Silence Professors” – April 19, 2018 – Rick Esenberg
- RealClearPolitics | “Wis. Judicial Election: Signaling a Blue Wave This Fall?” – April 5, 2018 – Rick Esenberg & Cori Petersen
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Donald Trump’s tariffs: Conservatives say they are a bad idea in every way” – March 7, 2018 – Rick Esenberg, Collin Roth, & Eric Bott
- Wisconsin State Journal | Commentary by Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty – January 15, 2018 – Rick Esenberg
2017
- Washington Examiner | “On redistricting and Gill v. Whitford, the best course of action for the courts is no action at all” – October 5, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
- National Review | “Wisconsin Voter-ID Study Has Statistical Flaws and Mistaken Assumptions” – September 29, 2017 – Rick Esenberg & Will Flanders
- National Review | “Define ‘Gerrymander’ Precisely: The Supreme Court Tackles the Impossible” – August 22, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Flanders, Esenberg: Money isn’t the problem facing Wisconsin schools” – July 21, 2017 – Rick Esenberg & Will Flanders
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Esenberg: State Supreme Court was right to reject change in recusal rules” – May 1, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
- National Review | “Our Fight for ‘Butter Freedom’” – April 3, 2017 – Rick Esenberg & Jake Curtis
- Right Wisconsin | “Campus Intolerance at Middlebury an Educational Failure” – March 10, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
- Right Wisconsin | “WILL Responds to Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling in Voces de la Frontera v. David A. Clarke, Jr.” – February 27, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Esenberg: Principles for a sound immigration policy” – February 24, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
- Right Wisconsin | “Judge Gorsuch will carry on Scalia legacy of textualism, originalism” – January 31, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
- Right Wisconsin | “Response to Three-Judge Panel Order to Legislature to Rewrite District Lines” – January 30, 2017 – Rick Esenberg
Will Flanders, PHD
Research Director
2024
2023
2022
- RealClearEducation | “Education Schools Are Pushing the Classroom Leftward” – September 2, 2022 – Will Flanders & Dylan Palmer
- The Federalist | “Gun Owners Are Racist, According To Academics Using Bad Science” – August 29, 2022 – Daniel Lennington & Will Flanders
- The Federalist | “Excusing Misbehavior Is Bad For Kids And Schools, But That’s What Biden Admin Wants To Do For ‘Equity’” – July 11, 2022 – Will Flanders
- The Cap Times | “Opinion | Wisconsin not meeting demand for charter schools” – May 21, 2022 – Will Flanders
- RealClearEducation | “New Biden Rules Could Chill Charters” – April 1, 2022 – Will Flanders
2021
- The Federalist | “What’s Behind The Massive Spike In Violence Inside Public Schools Nationwide” – December 1, 2021 – Daniel Lennington & Will Flanders
- RealClearEducation | “Biden Signals Return to Obama’s Misguided School Discipline Policies” – October 18, 2021 – Will Flanders
- The Cap Times | “Opinion | State needs to reform licensing requirement to address teacher shortage” – September 30, 2021 – Will Flanders & Jessica Holmberg
- Urban Milwaukee | “Poll Shows Democrats Split On School Choice” – August 18, 2021 – Will Flanders & Noah Diekemper
- The Hill | “Act 10 benefited education in Wisconsin — and may empower workers elsewhere” – July 23, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Will Flanders
- The Federalist | “Joe Biden Plans To Revive School Rules Punishing Kids According To Skin Color” – May 21, 2021 – Will Flanders
2020
- RealClearEducation | “Will Students Return to Public Schools After the Pandemic?” – December 28, 2020 – Will Flanders & Cori Petersen
- The Hill | “Closing classrooms may cost school districts thousands of students for years to come” – December 28, 2020 – Will Flanders & Ben DeGrow
- The Hill | “Are teachers unions influencing virtual schooling more than pandemic science?” – November 21, 2020 – Will Flanders
- The Cap Times | “Will Flanders: If education is changing, so should the funding.” – October 30, 2020 – Will Flanders
- Urban Milwaukee | “Legal Group WILL Opposes Pandemic” – September 18, 2020 – Rick Esenberg, Will Flanders, & Don Daughterty
- RealClearEducation | “The High-Performing School Deserts of Rural America” – Septemeber 4, 2020 – Will Flanders
- The Cap Times | “Will Flanders: Families deserve financial support for at-home schooling.” – July 24, 2020 – Will Flanders
- The Hill | “Whatever their intent, protests aren’t exempt from the laws of nature” – July 11, 2020 – Will Flanders
- Urban Milwaukee | “Extend Act 10 to Cover Police” – June 17, 2020 – Will Flanders & Cori Petersen
- The Cap Times | “Will Flanders and Cori Petersen: Extending Act 10 to police unions could make officers more accountable to the public” – June 14, 2020 – Will Flanders & Cori Petersen
- The Cap Times | “Will Flanders: We can ease the hardships of educating during COVID-19 with smart policy” – May 28, 2020 – Will Flanders
2019
2018
- Urban Milwaukee | “More Regulation of School Choice a Mistake” – September 24, 2018 – Will Flanders
- Washington Examiner | “Spending more money on schools doesn’t help students learn” – August 29, 2018 – Will Flanders
- RealClearPolicy | “On Court Pick, Never Trumpers Should Give Trump His Due” – July 8, 2018 – Will Flanders
- RealClearEducation | “The Neglected Challenges of Rural Education” – May 8, 2018 – Will Flanders
- Washington Examiner | “School choice works, but it could work better” – April 18, 2018 – Will Flanders & Cori Petersen
- RealClearEducation | “Education Reform Suffers When Politicians Put Careers Before Kids” – April 10, 2018 – Will Flanders
- NY Daily News | “ The negative effects of Obama’s ‘positive’ school discipline policies” – March 16, 2018 – Will Flanders & Natalie Goodnow
- The Daily Signal | “New Study Finds Some Licensing Laws Do More Harm Than Good” – February 2, 2018 – Will Flanders
- Education Next| “A Story, Not a Study” – February 1, 2018 – Will Flanders & Patrick J. Wolf
2017
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Obama school discipline policies hurt Wisconsin kids” – November 27, 2017 – Will Flanders & Natalie Goodnow
- Washington Examiner | “School choice: A path forward out of failure” – November 21, 2017 – Will Flanders
- National Review | “Wisconsin Voter-ID Study Has Statistical Flaws and Mistaken Assumptions” – September 29, 2017 – Rick Esenberg & Will Flanders
- The Cap Times | “Will Flanders: School choice opponents’ arguments against voucher schools ring hollow” – August 22, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Washington Examiner | “Parental choice is kicking bad schools out of school choice programs” – August 16, 2017 – Will Flanders & Morgan Johnson
- National Review | “School Vouchers Are Not a Form of ‘Welfare” – July 25, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Flanders, Esenberg: Money isn’t the problem facing Wisconsin schools” – July 21, 2017 – Rick Esenberg & Will Flanders
- The Federalist | “New Research Reverses Negative Findings About Biggest School Voucher Programs” – July 3, 2017 – Will Flanders & Collin Roth
- The Federalist | “Kids In Rural Areas Need School Choice, Too” – May 31, 2017 – Will Flanders & Collin Roth
- Wisconsin State Journal | “Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty: Mark Pocan is flat-out wrong on school choice” – May 30, 2017 – Will Flanders, Libby Sobic, Collin Roth, & CJ Szafir
- The Federalist | “Yes, Scott Walker Did Back Wisconsin’s Economy Away From A Cliff” – May 30, 2017 – Will Flanders & Jake Curtis
- Right Wisconsin | “Celebrating Tommy Thompson and School Choice” – May 24, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Flanders, Brannon: Repeal minimum markup law” – May 21, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Right Wisconsin | “NPR’s Claudio Sanchez Teaches Bad Lesson on School Choice” – May 16, 2017 – Will Flanders & CJ Szafir
- Urban Milwaukee | “Rural Areas Need Voucher Schools” – May 4, 2017 – Will Flanders & Collin Roth
- Right Wisconsin | “Five Things Everyone Should Know About the State Budget” – May 2, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Right Wisconsin | “Green Bay Students Would Benefit from Educational Options” – March 22, 2017 – Will Flanders & Collin Roth
- National Review | “New Evidence on School-Choice Successes in Wisconsin” – March 8, 2017 – Will Flanders & Collin Roth
- Right Wisconsin | “Rural Wisconsin Needs School Choice” – February 17, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Right Wisconsin | “Attacks That Opponents of School Choice Will Be Making – Before They Make Them” – February 8, 2017 – Will Flanders, Libby Sobic, & Collin Roth
- Right Wisconsin | “A Debate to Come: Education Funding” – February 6, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Right Wisconsin | “Failure of Federal SIG Program Has Lessons for Wisconsin” – January 26, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Right Wisconsin | “Expanding the School Choice Forward Exam Results” – January 17, 2017 – Will Flanders
- Right Wisconsin | “Overhaul School Funding Formula? Policymakers Should Consider Three Facts First” – January 12, 2017 – Will Flanders
- National Review | “A Word of Caution to the Trump Administration on School Choice” – January 6, 2017 – Will Flanders & Jake Curtis
Dan Lennington
Deputy Counsel
2024
2023
- National Review | “Renominating Trump Could Cause a Dangerous Chain Reaction” – August 29, 2023 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- National Review | “The Struggle for Legal Equality Isn’t Over Yet” – July 20, 2023 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- The Post-Crescent | “Wisconsin education officials wrongly label Black students as ‘at-risk’” – July 6, 2023 – Daniel Lennington & Will Flanders
- Fox News | “MBDA Victory’” – June 21, 2023 – Daniel Lennington
2022
- National Review | “Biden’s Student-Loan Action Is Obviously Unconstitutional. So Why Can’t Anyone Stop It?” – October 21, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- The Federalist | “Another Racist Biden Program Looks To Help Anyone But Whites” – October 10, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- The Federalist | “Gun Owners Are Racist, According To Academics Using Bad Science” – August 29, 2022 – Daniel Lennington & Will Flanders
- National Review | “Why We Must Fight Biden’s Equity Agenda” – April 16, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
2021
- The Federalist | “What’s Behind The Massive Spike In Violence Inside Public Schools Nationwide” – December 1, 2021 – Daniel Lennington & Will Flanders
- RealClearEducation | “Critical Race Theory Has No Place in American Schools” – June 14, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- The Cap Times | “Rick Esenberg and Daniel Lennington: Wisconsin’s race-based scholarships amount to state-sponsored race discrimination” – April 29, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
- The Cap Times | “Rick Esenberg and Daniel Lennington: Evers’ COVID-19 executive orders have highlighted flaws in Wisconsin law” – March 1, 2021 – Rick Esenberg & Daniel Lennington
2020
Luke Berg
Deputy Counsel
2024
2022
- The Wall Street Journal | “The Pronoun Police Come for Middle Schoolers” – May 23, 2022 – Rick Esenberg & Luke Berg
- Newsweek | “Schools Must Stop Keeping Trans-Secrets From Parents” – March 23, 2022 – Luke Berg & Max Eden
- AEI Report | “How Schools’ Transgender Policies Are Eroding Parents’ Rights” – March 14, 2022 – Luke Berg
Lucas Vebber
Deputy Counsel
2024
2017
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Lucas Vebber: Wetlands legislation is good for Wisconsin” – November 2, 2017 – Lucas Vebber
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | “Curtis, Vebber: Change EPA’s nonsensical rule that hurts Sheboygan County” – July 14, 2017 – Lucas Vebber & Jake Curtis
- Post Crescent | “Municipalities ignore lead pipes, scam taxpayers” – July 28, 2017 – Lucas Vebber
- Marshfield News Herald | “Environmental extremists mislead public” – January 6, 2017 – Lucas Vebber
Cory Brewer
Associate Counsel
2024
2023
Skylar Croy
Associate Counsel
Lauren Greuel
Associate Counsel
Cara Tolliver
Associate Counsel
2024
NATHALIE BURMEISTER
Associate Counsel
Noah Diekemper
Senior Research Analyst
Miranda Spindt
Policy Associate
2024
Shannon Whitworth
Bradley Freedom Fellow