Wisconsin Laws

Striking a serious blow to the nation's unprecedented wave of corporate mergers, the Supreme Court on Monday gave states broad powers to block hostile takeovers. In recent weeks, troubles in the junk bond market have made it more costly for corporate raiders to borrow money to buy out a corporation. Now, the high court has added a major legal obstacle as well.

A Wisconsin judge on Friday halted a controversial state law that would end most public employees' collective bargaining rights, ruling that the manner in which it was pushed through the Legislature violated the state's open-meetings law. FOR THE RECORD: Wisconsin unions: An article in Section A on March 19 about a judge suspending a Wisconsin law that limits collective bargaining for most public workers said Assembly Democrats had left the...

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to recognize a constitutional right to own machine guns sought by the National Rifle Assn., which had described a lower court's ruling in the matter as "the first ban on firearms possession by law-abiding citizens in American history." Without dissent, the high court let stand an appeals court ruling which upheld a 1986 federal law banning the manufacture, sale or ownership of new machine guns except by police or government agencies.

The state Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who videotaped his ex-girlfriend without her knowledge while she undressed, saying the law under which he was prosecuted is unconstitutional. The 4-year-old law improperly bars all visual expression of nudity without explicit consent, including political satire and newsworthy images, the court found. The ruling involved Scott L. Stevenson, who was arrested in 1997 after videotaping his ex-girlfriend through her window.

A federal appeals court in Chicago has upheld Illinois and Wisconsin laws banning certain late-term abortions, but opponents of the laws said the issue is still far from a legal resolution. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said it would appeal the decision, seeking a reconsideration of the order and an injunction preventing the two laws from being enforced while the appeals process is underway.

Aaron Pryor, the former junior welterweight champion, returned to boxing for the first time in 17 months Wednesday night and knocked out Daryl Jones at 1:15 of the third round at Madison, Wis., ending a day which saw the fight canceled and reinstated. Pryor, who was a champion from 1980-85, knocked Jones down twice in the second round. He then finished off his former sparring partner with a four-punch combination, ending it with a right hand. Jones tried to get up but was counted out.

The air is cleaner here than in much of the Midwest, the schools better, crime less, jobs more plentiful, housing cheaper and the people, in one critical aspect at least, a little more generous. Perhaps, some think, too generous.

There have been deaf musicians, legless marathon runners and even a one-armed major league baseball player. But, a blind hunter? Offhand, the idea seems preposterous. Ann Landers thought so, too. When a Wisconsin state senator recently wrote to the advice columnist about what a "dumb idea" a new law to accommodate blind hunters was, Landers responded as one might expect. "Permitting blind people to hunt does not make a whole lot of sense to me," she said. But Landers got only half the story.

This year's most significant shift in education law may take place this week, not at the ballot box on Tuesday but at the Supreme Court today. In recent years, advocates of "school choice" have been pressing for the legal right to use public money to pay for private and parochial schooling.

Wisconsin was barred by a federal appeals court from enforcing its ban on a type of late-term abortion while the state and opponents of the law battle in court. The 3-2 ruling by the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago was a victory for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and six physicians who challenged the new law. Jim Haney, spokesman for the Wisconsin attorney general, said the state had not decided how to respond to the ruling. The law bans so-called partial-birth abortions.

A federal appeals court in Chicago has upheld Illinois and Wisconsin laws banning certain late-term abortions, but opponents of the laws said the issue is still far from a legal resolution. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said it would appeal the decision, seeking a reconsideration of the order and an injunction preventing the two laws from being enforced while the appeals process is underway.

A Wisconsin law that bars a type of late-term abortion, carrying a potential penalty of life in prison, is constitutional, a federal judge ruled. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and six physicians had sued the state shortly after the law was enacted more than a year ago, saying it is unconstitutionally vague, with language so broad that it could outlaw other types of abortion. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge John Shabaz said in a Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin was barred by a federal appeals court from enforcing its ban on a type of late-term abortion while the state and opponents of the law battle in court. The 3-2 ruling by the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago was a victory for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and six physicians who challenged the new law. Jim Haney, spokesman for the Wisconsin attorney general, said the state had not decided how to respond to the ruling. The law bans so-called partial-birth abortions.

This year's most significant shift in education law may take place this week, not at the ballot box on Tuesday but at the Supreme Court today. In recent years, advocates of "school choice" have been pressing for the legal right to use public money to pay for private and parochial schooling.

Abortion clinics across Wisconsin shut Thursday after one of the nation's most sweeping "partial-birth" abortion bans took effect. Wisconsin doctors and virtually every clinic in the state stopped performing abortions, citing fear that because of vague language in the state's new law, they could be prosecuted and imprisoned for life even for providing other types of abortions.

Pregnant at 15, Kinesha T. doesn't need much imagination to envision the life that looms ahead of her. Her older sister, living with an aunt, is on welfare with her baby. Her cousin, at 21, already has six children, is contemplating a seventh, and seems sentenced to a life measured from welfare check to welfare check. Wisconsin's Gov. Tommy G. Thompson, a Republican in his second term, thinks he knows how to point Kinesha in a different direction.

Abortion clinics across Wisconsin shut Thursday after one of the nation's most sweeping "partial-birth" abortion bans took effect. Wisconsin doctors and virtually every clinic in the state stopped performing abortions, citing fear that because of vague language in the state's new law, they could be prosecuted and imprisoned for life even for providing other types of abortions.

State lawmakers handed a victory to anti-abortion interests Tuesday by deciding not to vote on repealing unenforceable criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. Abortion rights advocates had sought to wipe out the penalties, which were rendered unenforceable in 1973 by the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, in case the court later reversed itself.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to recognize a constitutional right to own machine guns sought by the National Rifle Assn., which had described a lower court's ruling in the matter as "the first ban on firearms possession by law-abiding citizens in American history." Without dissent, the high court let stand an appeals court ruling which upheld a 1986 federal law banning the manufacture, sale or ownership of new machine guns except by police or government agencies.

A man was convicted Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman who doctors say has 46 personalities after he testified that she consented to sex and he learned only later that she was mentally ill. Mark A. Peterson was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. He remained free on $5,000 bond. Sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 10 and he said he will appeal.