May 11, 2026Divorce by Affidavit: What Wisconsin Family Lawyers Need to KnowDivorce by affidavit offers a more flexible path for uncontested divorce cases in Wisconsin, particularly for clients facing scheduling, mobility, distance, child care, or emotional barriers to appearing in court. Tiara Oates outlines the requirements, benefits, and possible drawbacks of using this new process.By
Tiara Oates
As of Oct. 31, 2025, divorce by affidavit (2025 Wisconsin Act 40) can be used to finalize uncontested divorce…
Continue Reading Divorce by Affidavit: What Wisconsin Family Lawyers Need to Know

To safeguard the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Miranda prevents prosecutors from introducing statements made by suspects under custodial interrogation unless law enforcement informs the suspect of certain now-familiar rights. [1] Specifically, a person under custodial interrogation “must be warned that he has a right to remain silent, that any statement he does make may be used as evidence against him, and that he has a right to the presence of an attorney, either retained or appointed.” [2] The…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: 12-Year-Old Boy was in Custody During School Police Questioning

​If you’re reading this blog, you are very likely concerned about justice in Wisconsin, the country, and across the world. But you’re probably also pretty busy. How do you choose which books about the justice system to read during your limited free time?

In a new series of posts, Wisconsin Justice Initiative founder and former executive director Gretchen Schuldt will help you out. An avid reader, she returns to the blog with book reviews so you can…
Continue Reading Book Review: Joan Biskupic looks at John Roberts’ drive to the top and his aim to shift both law and country to the right

Recently, we have seen a surge in new children’s hospital projects across the country. Our team is currently working on multiple new free-standing children’s hospital projects that will have a significant impact on pediatric care in several states. These projects often include joint ventures between children’s hospitals and academic medical centers.
Below is a summary of five children’s hospital projects that are noteworthy.

  • Texas – UT Southwestern and Children’s Health have announced a new $5B pediatric campus in Dallas,

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: Five Children’s Hospital Projects to Watch

    Several changes impacting employers in jurisdictions across the nation are summarized below in our latest blog post.

    Connecticut

    • On February 25, 2026, Connecticut’s Attorney General’s office issued a memorandum clarifying that the state’s anti-discrimination law applies to discrimination resulting from employers’ use of artificial intelligence.

    Iowa

    • Effective May 10, 2026 – Senate File 579 (S.F. 579) prohibits Iowa cities and local governments from enacting ordinances or other laws that are broader or have different categories of unfair or discriminatory

    …
    Continue Reading National State Employment Law Update

    The Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently addressed a question of first impression concerning the scope of a circuit court’s authority when a dispute is subject to mandatory arbitration. In Herbal Aspect LLC v. Gish, the court held that a circuit court retains authority to consider and grant a temporary injunction to preserve the status quo, even after determining that the merits of the dispute must be resolved through arbitration.

    The underlying dispute arose out of competing claims over ownership…
    Continue Reading Wisconsin Court of Appeals Confirms Courts May Issue Temporary Injunctions Pending Arbitration

    ​By Alexandria Staubach

    A recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report highlights problems in Wisconsin’s criminal justice system ranging from the state’s continued place as a national leader in the disproportionate incarceration of people of color to expected increases in costs associated with the state’s prison population.

    The April report, entitled Cross Examination: A comprehensive view of Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, shows persistent troubling trends and hopes to be a “baseline assessment of Wisconsin’s criminal justice landscape.”

    Much in…
    Continue Reading New report assesses Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, finds persistent troubling trends

    Are Your Federal Construction Projects Now Subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage? What Contractors Must KnowFederal and state prevailing wage mandates are colliding on construction projects in Illinois, exposing owners, developers, and contractors to conflicting compliance obligations and increased project costs. With the enactment of Illinois HB 1189, projects that long fell exclusively under the federal prevailing wage law (Davis-Bacon) may now also be subject to the state’s prevailing wage law mandates.
    While the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL)…
    Continue Reading Are Your Federal Construction Projects Now Subject to the Illinois
    Prevailing Wage? What Contractors Must Know

    Federal and state prevailing wage mandates are colliding on construction projects in Illinois, exposing owners, developers, and contractors to conflicting compliance obligations and increased project costs. With the enactment of Illinois HB 1189, projects that long fell exclusively under the federal prevailing wage law (Davis-Bacon) may now also be subject to the state’s prevailing wage law mandates.

    While the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has issued guidance for contractors, there is little clarity on how to reconcile fundamental and…
    Continue Reading Are Your Federal Construction Projects Now Subject to the IllinoisPrevailing Wage? What Contractors Must Know

    Georgia Maxwell, lame duck appointee to the Commission back in 2018, had that appointment expire in March 2023. She stayed on past that expiration date, however, and so her replacement, Katy Lounsbury, has yet to begin serving on the Commission.

    But, Maxwell’s service on the Commission may be ending soon, as she has recently accepted a job as Waukesha county clerk beginning in June of this year.

    When Maxwell’s work at the Commission will officially end remains…
    Continue Reading Maxwell moving on from LIRC perhaps

    If you filed a Wisconsin worker’s compensation claim, you may be shocked when the insurance company starts asking for medical records that seem unrelated to your injury. For example, you may have injured your knee at work, but the insurance company wants records about your back, hip, ankle, or prior surgery. We understand why this feels invasive, unfair, and frustrating. Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s worker’s compensation system gives insurance companies broad rights to investigate and defend against claims, including the right…
    Continue Reading Why Is My Worker’s Compensation Insurance Company Asking for Unrelated Medical Records?

    UPDATE: Shortly after this alert was published, the Supreme Court granted an administrative stay of the Fifth Circuit’s order. This means that, while the Supreme Court reviews Danco’s and GenBioPro’s emergency requests that the Fifth Circuit’s stay be vacated, mifepristone is available under the 2023 REMS, which permits dispensing of mifepristone directly to patients by certain pharmacies, including by certain mail-order pharmacies. We will continue to follow this litigation and will provide further updates as they are available.…
    Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Panel Grants Stay in Case Challenging FDA Regulation of Mifepristone

    April 28, 2026 – The asbestos dust that a steamfitter breathed, causing mesothelioma, resulted in safe-place statute liability for Pabst Brewing Co., a 5-2 majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided recently in

    Estate of Carol Lorbiecki v. Pabst Brewing Co.    , 2026 WI 12.

    “As the owner of the brewery, Pabst owed a non-delegable duty under the safe-place statute to frequenters on the premises, a category that includes employees of independent contractors like Lorbiecki,” Justice Rebecca Frank…
    Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: Asbestos Created Safe-Place Statute Liability

  • Hartford Hospital plans to construct a $950M, 14-story, 500,000-sf inpatient and surgical tower. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and will include 216 private-room inpatient beds.
  • Health systems continue land banking for future development. Recent examples include Novant Health’s purchase of the 56-acre former TD Bank campus off I-85 in Greenville, SC, for $45M; Atrium Health’s acquisition of 10 acres near I-77 in Fort Mill, SC, for $5M; and Banner Health’s purchase of 18 acres in North Phoenix,

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: More Land Banking | Hartford Hospital Plans $950M Tower | CaroMont Invests $200M in Oncology Services

    Can I Be Pardoned or Have My Sentence Commuted Under Governor Evers’ Executive Order?
     Posted on April 30, 2026 in Appeals
    In April 2026, Governor Tony Evers signed two executive orders restoring Wisconsin’s commutation process. Combined with the pardon process Governor Evers reinstated when he first took office, under which he has now issued a record-breaking 2,000 pardons, these executive orders represent a genuine second chance for thousands of people who are either currently incarcerated or carrying the…
    Continue Reading Can I Be Pardoned or Have My Sentence Commuted Under Governor Evers’ Executive Order?

    ​”Evers’ judges” is our effort to present information about Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees’ own judgeship applications.

    Italics indicate direct quotes from the application.​ Typos, including punctuation errors, come from the original application even though we have not inserted “(sic)” after each one. WJI has left them as is.
     

    Name: David O. Hughes

    Appointed to: Kenosha County Circuit Court

    Appointment date: Dec. 23, 2025, to term ending July 31,…
    Continue Reading Evers’ judges: David O. Hughes