Wisconsin Senators want to take away a strategy that some local governments have used to keep public information under wraps.
The State Senate on Wednesday approved SB 117, also known as The Open Government Protection Act, with a simple voice vote. The legislation would force local governments to pay the legal fees of people who sue over open records requests, even if the local government doesn’t technically lose the case.
“The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided in 2022 that a requester prevails in whole or in substantial part only if the requester obtains a judicially sanctioned change in the parties’ legal relationship,” the Legislative Reference Bureau explained in the legislation. “Under the supreme court’s decision, a requester generally is not entitled to attorney fees and costs if the authority voluntarily or unilaterally without a court order provides contested records after the requester files an action in court.”
Who is in charge of your children? That has been a perennial question that has grown in importance over the last few years. When I was a child, it was understood that, with rare exceptions, parents were in charge of a child’s upbringing. This included medical, religious, and educational decisions. However, over the last few decades, the role of the parent in these decisions has been replaced by experts. What happens when the goal of the experts differs from those of the parents? Who decides the future of the rising generations? It was understood that the state acted in loco parentis, in place of the parents, only for the safety of the child. A recent case in U.S. District Court shows that be it health departments, child services, schools, or even the courts. Government not only believes they know better than the parents, they are more than willing to act in loco parentis tyrannis.
https://constitutionstudy.com/?p=8897
With the release of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) applications, there has been a lot of speculation and downright assertions about our future. With over 30 years of experience in Information Technology (IT), not more than a passing understanding of AIs, I've come to the conclusion that much of what I've heard is more science fiction than fact. A recent court case decided in the D.C. District Court revolved around one very important question. Do AIs have rights?
In this third installment of the three-part series on the branches of government, we look at the role of the third and weakest branch. At least that is what our Founding Fathers thought of it. What is the role of the federal judiciary? What are the extent of their powers, how do they related to the other two branches of government, and why is a proper understanding of the role of the judiciary critical if the United States is to remain a constitutional republic?
https://constitutionstudy.com/?p=8575
Hoplophobia is the irrational fear of firearms or guns. Based on recent news, there appears to be an epidemic of hoplophobia going around. - Live 4PM ET with Host Paul Engel @CyberEngel @OutLoudNews
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Racism is wrong. At least that’s what I’ve been told my entire life. But if racism is wrong, why do so many people demand we make decisions based on race? Is an election fair if the people are vote are racially chosen? If it was wrong for people to be denied the representation because of their race, why is it OK for them to deny representation to others for the same reason? Is choosing representation based on race is wrong? That is the question presented to the Supreme Court in the case LOUISIANA v. CALLAIS ET AL.
https://constitutionstudy.com/2026/06/15/527-racial-gerrymandering/
Many of us work at a place with a published code of conduct. A list of rules about how we conduct ourselves. While in society, there’s a generally unwritten code of conduct we expect from others. What happens when people do not follow an expected code of conduct? - Live 4PM ET with Host Paul Engel @CyberEngel @OutLoudNews
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