Your Right to Know

As homelessness grows across Wisconsin, the silence by lawmakers leaves the public guessing.

This month, for the first time in 30 years, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is without Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. It is also without one of its most consistent advocates for transparency in government. 

Recent weeks have brought forth two of the most egregious violations of the public’s right to know that I have seen in more than three decades of tracking openness issues on the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. 

Probably the most commonly used — and, in my opinion, abused — exemption in our state’s Open Meetings Law is the one that lets governmental bodies meet behind closed doors “whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session.”

In any community, the role of the medical examiner is vital.

The ACLU of Wisconsin released a report last fall that underscores both the scope and the severe consequences of municipal court practices.

“Your Right to Know” is available for publication at no cost. For the 19th consecutive year, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its annual Openness

There’s good news and bad news in a recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision upholding an open records judgment related to the ridiculous and ham-handed investigation into alleged 2020 election fraud headed by former Supreme Court justice Michael Gableman.

Shereen Siewert, publisher of the Wausau Pilot and Review, has been breathing easier these days.

Long, frustrating wait times for responses to Wisconsin Open Records Law requests are not uncommon.