WILL Lawsuit Seeks to End Unconstitutional Milwaukee County Carve Out

WILL has filed a new lawsuit against Milwaukee County to end an unconstitutional carve out allowing Milwaukee County to withhold millions from Wisconsin’s Common School Fund.

This fund, mandated by the Wisconsin Constitution, supports libraries in schools and communities across Wisconsin. Under a provision tucked away in the current state budget, Milwaukee County may take 100% of all traffic fines and forfeitures, while other counties must deposit most of this money into the Common School Fund. Milwaukee County is the only county that benefits from this carve out in the state budget.

WILL Associate Counsel, Lauren Greuel, stated, “The ‘Cream City Carve Out,’ is a flagrant and unconstitutional money grab by Milwaukee County, okayed by the last state budget. Our constitution requires these funds to go into the Common School Fund, and this budget provision is plainly unlawful. Library funding should be protected to ensure this vital resource continues to serve Wisconsinites for generations to come.”

WILL Continues Fight to End DEI in the States

Last week, The Department of Transportation issued a new rule ending race and sex-based quotas within the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, a major policy shift following a landmark WILL legal victory.

This change, which governs billions in annual highway funds, prohibits states from awarding road and bridge contracts based on race or sex. WILL has begun the process of notifying states that continue to use race or sex-based contract criteria that they are now in violation of federal law and risk the loss of their federal funding for essential infrastructure like roads and bridges.

Since sending our notice out to states, Indiana has already reversed course! Read WILL's notice to Indiana HERE.

Op-ed: DPI Makes Failing Schools Look Good

In their recent op-ed, WILL Research Director Will Flanders and Policy Director Kyle Koenen argue that Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction is deliberately obscuring the state's declining academic reality by weakening accountability standards.

They highlight how the agency has repeatedly changed grading metrics, including renaming performance categories and altering school report card cut scores, to artificially inflate proficiency rates and make schools appear stronger than they are.

WILL Promotes Free Speech On College Campuses

This week, WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg delivered a powerful message at the Liberty, Faith, and Freedom Summit hosted by Concordia University.

He emphasized that free speech is essential for the preservation of our Republic and argued that this message must be promoted and pursued on college campuses today.

Parents Kept in Dark Over Child's Gender Identity, WILL Pushes Back

WILL and Dr. Erica Anderson, PhD, are supporting two Florida parents who say their local public school kept them in the dark about important conversations with their child regarding gender identity.

The case centers on January and Jeffrey Littlejohn, parents in Leon County, Florida, who allege that school officials met privately with their child about using a new name and pronouns, and did not inform or involve them as parents. Read more HERE.

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