Government

RSS Link

There has been much discussion/litigation about the post office and election ballots of late. And, changes in postmark practices mean that the mailing date on untracked mail is no longer accurate. But, something more fundamental with mail delivery needs to be reckoned with.
Here is the tracking information for a recent letter a person from Indianapolis sent to me here in Madison Wisconsin.

August 27, 2026
Out for Delivery. Expected Delivery Between 9:30am and 1:30pm.
MADISON, WI…
Continue Reading The Sorry State of the Post Office Letter

You can learn a lot about the federal government in school and everyday life, but in my experience, nothing beats being a part of it. I spent the first four months of 2026 in Washington, D.C., working and studying as an intern and student on Capitol Hill. They were the busiest four months of my life, but I have never learned more. Here’s what I still think about now that it’s been a little while.
When people think about…
Continue Reading How Congress Actually Works – An Intern’s Perspective

https-www-wisbar-org-newspublications-publishingimages-article%20images-wisconsin-supreme-court-sign-chamber-1200x630-jpg

Note: We are crunching Supreme Court of Wisconsin decisions down to size. The rule for this is that no justice gets more than 10 paragraphs as written in the actual decision. The “upshot” and “background” sections do not count as part of the 10 paragraphs because of their summary and necessary nature. We’ve also removed citations from the opinion for ease of. Italics indicate WJI insertions. Emphasis in the original is italicized and underlined.

Case: Wisconsin State Legislature v.

…
Continue Reading The SCOW Docket: Attorney General Controls Settlement Funds

Attorney Alex Ferrone presents on traps and fraud in real estate transactions for business law audience
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Alexander Ferrone will present on hidden defects and disclosure traps in real estate transactions, and broker, agent, and contractor fraud as part of a daylong CLE program, available live online or via on-demand recording. The program, Forged Deeds, Wire Fraud, and More: Protecting Clients Against Real Estate Scams, takes place on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, and is facilitated by…
Continue Reading Attorney Alexander Ferrone Presents on Real Estate Traps & Fraud for National Business Institute

https-www-wisbar-org-newspublications-publishingimages-article%20images-schoenick_brittany_100x137-jpg

Rental registries are essentially databases that contain information about rental properties and their owners. They can be used to track information about ownership, document certification or licensing based on rental inspections – a powerful local tool to identify and stabilize deteriorated but occupied rental properties. Sometimes, where applicable, these registries can help enforce municipal rent stabilization ordinances.[1] Historical Context Before 2016, many Wisconsin municipalities, including Milwaukee, had rental registry programs and proactive inspection programs.[2] Enacted in…
Continue Reading Rental Inspection Restrictions Put Childhood Lead Prevention at Risk

Since we last posted about the First Amendment rights of employees in 2012, the law has remained relatively stable but social media has exploded. And for the last 14 years, courts have been trying to figure out how speech made online affects the legal analysis regarding the First Amendment rights of government employees.
For a primer on the First Amendment rights of government employees, go back and look at Attorney Summer Murshid’s post from 2012. However, here are…
Continue Reading Social Media Posts and the First Amendment Rights of Government Employees

On June 16, 2026, the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 6-1 to grant review in Abby Windows, LLC v. LIRC, 2024AP001013. The Court’s order scheduled briefing in the case to begin in July of 2026, meaning that the Court will presumably hear and decide the case during the 2026-27 term. Justice Rebecca Grassl Bradley, whose term expires on July 31, 2026, dissented to the Court’s order granting review. The order did not provide Justice Grassl Bradley’s reasoning.
As discussed in…
Continue Reading Update: Wisconsin Supreme Court Grants Petition for Review that Asks Court to Reevaluate Its Approach to Statutory Interpretation

Two Stafford Rosenbaum attorneys present at LWM Municipal Attorneys Institute
Two attorneys at Stafford Rosenbaum will give separate presentations during the League of Wisconsin Municipalities’ 2026 Municipal Attorneys Institute Conference. Attorney Pam Ploor will present on employment law topics relating to FMLA leave and pregnancy and maternity accommodations on Thursday, June 18. Attorney Brian Sajdak will present, “Conform or Be Cast Out: The Unattractive Truth for Municipal Authority over Subdivisions” on Friday, June 19.
Both presentations are part…
Continue Reading Attorneys Pam Ploor & Brian Sajdak Present for League of Wisconsin Municipalities

“The law does not allow a tenant to occupy premises rent-free simply because the lease is void and unenforceable.”

(Justice Rebecca Bradley, writing for the majority in  Koble Investments v. Marquardt, 2026 WI 19, ¶ 28.)

On Friday, June 5, 2026, the Wisconsin Supreme Court (hereinafter “Court”) issued its opinion in the case of Koble Investments v. Elicia Marquardt, et al.[i]. The case had been pending before the Court since May 2024, after the District III Court…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Hands Landlords a Win in Koble Investments v. Marquardt

https-www-wisbar-org-newspublications-publishingimages-article%20images-handcuffs-key-unlocked-jail-prison-freedom-criminal-pardon-expungement-1200x630-jpg

Earlier this month, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed two executive orders: Executive Order #287, creating an advisory board to review applications for commutations, and Executive Order #288, creating a specific process for commutation requests from people who were sentenced to life imprisonment while they were juveniles.

The Wisconsin Constitution grants the governor the power to issue commutations and pardons, but unlike the pardon power, which Gov. Evers has exercised since creating a Pardon Advisory Board in 2019,…
Continue Reading Commutations in Wisconsin: A Rare Opportunity for Relief

Stafford Rosenbaum discusses AI contract drafting with Association of Corporate Counsel – Wisconsin members
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorneys Seep Paliwal and Erin Rome, and co-presenter Attorney Matt Beier of WILMIC, will present “Contract Drafting and Review in the Era of AI” on Friday, May 15, at the ACC-WI Annual Chapter Conference and Meeting of Members. Their presentation will focus on AI contract drafting and negotiations for businesses from a business litigator’s perspective, all with artificial intelligence in mind.
The…
Continue Reading Attorneys Seep Paliwal & Erin Rome Present on AI Contract Drafting for Association of Corporate Counsel

Stafford Rosenbaum attorneys to present during State Bar of Wisconsin’s Great Outdoors seminar
Attorneys Erin Deeley, Klara Henry, Jane Landretti, and Zoe Pawlisch will present during The Great Outdoors 2026 seminar on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 (or via webcast), as part of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s daylong program on the legal frameworks governing Wisconsin’s land, water, wildlife, and recreation.
Attorneys Erin Deeley and Zoe Pawlisch will present on riparian rights during their segment of the program, addressing waterfront…
Continue Reading Stafford Rosenbaum Environment & Land Use Law Attorneys Present at Great Outdoors 2026

https-www-wisbar-org-newspublications-publishingimages-article%20images-kline_matthew_100x137-jpg

Earlier this year, Wisconsin legislators began holding public hearings on Wisconsin Assembly Bill 609. This bill, sponsored by State Rep. Chanz J. Green and a number of other state lawmakers, proposes to make changes to Wisconsin’s concealed carry laws by eliminating the need for a permit to carry a weapon concealed.

Matthew Kline headshot
Matthew Kline, Ohio State 2021, is an assistant attorney general with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in Columbus, Ohio.

Concealed carry is a requirement that any individual…
Continue Reading Permitless Carry: Observations on a National Trend

AI-Witness-Courtroom-ChatGPT-1200x630

When AI Provides Courtroom Expertise
Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic in every field, but, too often, when it comes to the legal system, it is lawyers’ and judges’ struggles with AI that make news, time after time. But while everyone is talking about “hallucinated” case citations, some are focusing on the other ways AI is entering the courtroom. For decades, expert evidence has required a human witness—a physician, engineer, accountant, or other specialist applying…
Continue Reading When the ‘Expert’ Is an Algorithm

Attorney Mason Higgins presents on ethical advocacy in bankruptcy proceedings for the State Bar of Wisconsin
Attorney Mason Higgins presented “Dazed & Pro Se: Ethical Advocacy When the Other Side Has No Bankruptcy Lawyer” at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditors’ Rights Section’s educational retreat on February 26, 2026. Attorney Higgins presented alongside the Hon. Meredith S. Grabill of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Atty. Kelly M. Smith of…
Continue Reading Attorney Mason Higgins Presents to State Bar’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, & Creditors’ Rights Section

Effectively representing domestic abuse/intimate partner violence (IPV)[1] victim-survivors requires exemplary soft skills, such as active listening, clear communication, patience, and compassion. Intimate partner violence is a pattern of controlling behavior that includes threats, psychological manipulation, verbal degradation, financial coercion, sexual abuse, physical abuse, educational deprivation, spiritual abuse, stalking, and other tactics to control a partner. IPV can occur between individuals who are dating, separated, divorced, or married.[2] Wisconsin’s legal definition of domestic abuse is much narrower, which

…
Continue Reading 5 Tips for Representing Survivors of Domestic Abuse