Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down Legislative Committee’s Veto of Administrative Rules, Dramatically Reshaping Agency Rulemaking
Introduction
On July 8, 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down five statutes that, since 2018, have empowered four members of a ten-member legislative committee, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (“JCRAR”), to effectively veto an agency’s proposed and promulgated rules. See Evers v. Marklein (“Marklein II”), 2025 WI 36. In reaching this conclusion, the Court adopted a new interpretation of the
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down Legislative Committee’s Veto of Administrative Rules
Latest from Stafford Rosenbaum Law Blog - Page 2
Attorney Tiffany Highstrom Presents on Preparation of Financial Statements in Family Law Cases
Attorney Tiffany Highstrom to present “The Preparation of Financial Statements in Family Law Cases 2025” for the State Bar of Wisconsin
Attorney Tiffany Highstrom will present on best practices for preparing financial statements for family court cases on Thursday, July 24, 2025, during the State Bar of Wisconsin’s CLE seminar, “The Preparation of Financial Statements in Family Law Cases 2025,” which will also be available via recorded webcast after July 24. Tiffany will discuss when financial disclosures
Continue Reading Attorney Tiffany Highstrom Presents on Preparation of Financial Statements in Family Law Cases
Attorney Nikki Yang Leads & Presents Legal Education Series at Madison Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Attorney Nikki Yang leads legal education series for Madison Chinese Chamber of Commerce, presents on criminal law
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Nikki Yang will give a presentation to an audience at the Greater Madison Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Attorney Yang leads a regular legal education series at the Chamber, providing introductory overviews of various aspects of the U.S. legal system—including contract law, corporate liability, criminal law, estate planning, and family law. The presentations are conducted in Mandarin Chinese and are
Continue Reading Attorney Nikki Yang Leads & Presents Legal Education Series at Madison Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Attorney Douglas M. Poland Earns Wisconsin Law Journal Powerlist Honor
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Doug Poland recognized on Appellate Law Powerlist by Wisconsin Law Journal
Originally published by Wisconsin Law Journal on June 23, 2025.
The power of collaboration is what Douglas Poland believes is the foundation for his numerous wins, believing there’s no such thing as a self-made, super-star lawyer.
Poland is a partner at Stafford Rosenbaum, with a focus on business, environmental, election and constitutional law, and a wealth of experience handling high-stakes cases in state and federal courts across
Continue Reading Attorney Douglas M. Poland Earns Wisconsin Law Journal Powerlist Honor
DNR Authorized to Address PFAS Contamination without First Identifying ‘Hazardous Substances’ per Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Supreme Court holds that DNR has authority to address PFAS contamination without first promulgating rules identifying each contaminant as a “hazardous substance”
Introduction
On June 24, 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a landmark environmental decision in Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Inc. v. DNR. The Court concluded that the Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”) has the authority to require the cleanup of “emerging contaminants,” like PFAS, without first promulgating rules identifying each substance qualifying as a “hazardous substance”
Continue Reading DNR Authorized to Address PFAS Contamination without First Identifying ‘Hazardous Substances’ per Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Supreme Court Unanimously Concludes Legislature’s Lame-Duck Settlement Statute Is Unconstitutional
Since 2018, Wis. Stat. § 165.08(1), or the “Settlement Statute,” has forbidden the Wisconsin Department of Justice (“DOJ”) from settling or discontinuing any civil action without the approval of the Wisconsin State Legislature. On June 17, 2025, in a decisive win for the DOJ, Governor, and executive branch agencies (the “Petitioners”), a unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court significantly limited the Settlement Statute’s reach. See Kaul v. Wis. State Legislature, 2025 WI 23. In Kaul, the Court concluded that the Settlement
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Unanimously Concludes Legislature’s Lame-Duck Settlement Statute Is Unconstitutional
Attorney Brian Sajdak Presents at League of Wisconsin Municipalities Conference
Attorney Brian Sajdak discusses Wisconsin levy limits with Municipal Attorneys Institute audience members
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Brian Sajdak will give a presentation, “When the Levy Breaks: Navigating the Murky Floodwaters of Wisconsin’s Levy Limit,” to an audience of municipal and government lawyers during the 2025 League of Wisconsin Municipalities Municipal Attorneys Institute on June 11. The three-day annual Conference brings together municipal attorneys and leaders for continuing legal education (CLE) opportunities on a wide range of topics. Stafford Rosenbaum
Continue Reading Attorney Brian Sajdak Presents at League of Wisconsin Municipalities Conference
After Wave of Environmental Regulation Rollbacks, Trump Administration Announces PFAS-Combatting Initiatives
Initiatives to Combat PFAS Announced After Environmental Regulation Rollbacks
The second Trump term has already been marked by significant environmental deregulation, including targeting major climate change, energy efficiency, environmental justice, and air pollution policies established over the decades since the first wave of environmental regulatory schemes began in the 1970s.[1] These rollbacks have been compounded by reductions in the EPA workforce and budget, including the agency’s scientific research division.[2] The reduction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS),
Continue Reading After Wave of Environmental Regulation Rollbacks, Trump Administration Announces PFAS-Combatting Initiatives
Attorneys Jessica Mederson & Pahoua Thao Present at Association of Corporate Counsel – Wisconsin Conference
Stafford Rosenbaum discusses data privacy regulation and risk to Association of Corporate Counsel – Wisconsin
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorneys Jessica Mederson and Pahoua Thao, as well as in-house Cotiviti Attorney Krista Baisch, will give a presentation to an audience of corporate counsel lawyers during the 2025 Association of Corporate Counsel – Wisconsin Conference on May 15, 2025. The annual Conference brings together in-house Wisconsin attorneys who can choose from 26 CLE sessions to customize a program schedule to fit their
Continue Reading Attorneys Jessica Mederson & Pahoua Thao Present at Association of Corporate Counsel – Wisconsin Conference
Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds Governor’s ‘400-Year Veto’ and Affirms Expansive Partial-Veto Power
The Wisconsin governor’s partial-veto power is unique. Although some states grant governors the power to veto entire budget line items, Wisconsin’s governor may veto discrete parts of appropriation bills, including words, punctuation marks, and digits. See generally Wis. Const. art. V, § 10(1)(b), (c). On April 18, 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court revisited Wisconsin’s anomalous partial veto power in its tenth ever opinion on the topic, LeMieux v. Evers, 2025 WI 12, which addressed the constitutionality of Governor Tony
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds Governor’s ‘400-Year Veto’ and Affirms Expansive Partial-Veto Power
Attorney Jessica Mederson Presents on Energy Resiliency in Construction Law
Attorney Jessica Mederson presents on construction law and resiliency measures amid a changing climate
On Thursday, May 1, Attorney Jessica C. Mederson will give a “Strategies for Incorporating Energy Resiliency and Climate Change into Construction Projects and Contracts” presentation at Centro Hispano of Dane County. Part of the daylong Construction Law Update: Current Trends in Sustainability and Finance hosted by the State Bar of Wisconsin, Jessica will present to a Madison-area audience of construction, sustainability, community, and legal
Continue Reading Attorney Jessica Mederson Presents on Energy Resiliency in Construction Law
Attorney Anthony Menting Earns Wisconsin Law Journal Powerlist Honor
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Tony Menting recognized on Family Law Powerlist by Wisconsin Law Journal
Originally published on wislawjournal.com on March 27, 2025.
Similar to surgeons or CPAs, Anthony Menting believes that divorce lawyers must be clinical and objective. While he acknowledges the emotional aspects of family law, Menting helps his clients navigate them by clearly detailing outcomes and managing unrealistic expectations.
Menting, a partner at Stafford Rosenbaum’s Madison office, focuses his practice on divorce, mediation, and
Continue Reading Attorney Anthony Menting Earns Wisconsin Law Journal Powerlist Honor
Attorney Vanessa Wishart Presents Legal Updates in Wisconsin Water & Environmental Law
Attorney Vanessa Wishart provides legal updates in Wisconsin water law to WI Wastewater Operators Association
Attorney Vanessa Wishart will give legal updates on Wisconsin water and environmental law as part of a daylong symposium on March 18, 2025, to an audience of municipal officials, water treatment plant operators, contractors, and consultants. The 2025 Spring Biosolids Symposium in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an annual event providing a forum for discussion and information exchange by assembling speakers who are recognized experts
Continue Reading Attorney Vanessa Wishart Presents Legal Updates in Wisconsin Water & Environmental Law
Court of Appeals Concludes Ballots Lacking Election Official Endorsements Must Be Counted
Wisconsin Court of Appeals issues opinion that voting ballots lacking endorsements from elections officials must be counted
On March 6, 2025, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals (Dist. IV) issued a must-read election law opinion declining to toss out three ballots cast in a Rock County election. Gonfiantini v. Rock Cnty. Bd. of Canvassers, No. 2024AP1233 (Wis. Ct. App. March 6, 2025) (recommended for publication). The three ballots were not initialed (i.e. “endorsed”) by the appropriate elections officials as required
Continue Reading Court of Appeals Concludes Ballots Lacking Election Official Endorsements Must Be Counted
Attorneys Iana Vladimirova & Rich Latta Moderate Discussions at ALFA International Seminar
Stafford Rosenbaum Attorneys Latta and Vladimirova speak to ALFA International business audiences during International Client Seminar
Two attorneys at Stafford Rosenbaum, the Wisconsin member law firm of global legal network ALFA International, participated in the organization’s International Client Seminar on March 6-9, 2025.
Attorney Rich Latta moderated a panel discussion, “The More Things Change—What Happens Now After the U.S. Supreme Court in Loper Bright Has Turned Back the Clock to 1984?” The panel discussed the Loper Bright decision,
Continue Reading Attorneys Iana Vladimirova & Rich Latta Moderate Discussions at ALFA International Seminar
Attorneys Kent & Landretti Present on Wisconsin Water Law Issues
Attorneys Paul Kent & Jane Landretti present on current legal issues in Wisconsin water law
Attorneys Paul Kent and Jane Landretti will give a presentation on Wednesday, March 5, during the 2025 Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance Conference. The two-day Conference will cover topics like regulation and guidance, climate change, green infrastructure, dissolved phosphorus capture, watershed recovery, recycling and reuse in stormwater, and community engagement for an audience including engineers, professors, community leaders, government entities, local elected officials, and concerned
Continue Reading Attorneys Kent & Landretti Present on Wisconsin Water Law Issues