WILL Earns “2022 SPN Network Award” for Challenging OSHA

WILL was given the “2022 SPN Network Award” by the State Policy Network for challenging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) authority to issue a sweeping emergency rule. WILL represented two Wisconsin manufacturing businesses in this lawsuit.

WILL shares the award with The Buckeye Institute, Liberty Justice Center, Mississippi Center for Justice, Pelican Institute for Public Policy, and Texas Public Policy Foundation.

🗯 WILL President and General Counsel, Rick Esenberg, said, “WILL is honored to receive this award. Even in times of crisis, the rule of law matters. WILL is committed to create lasting litigation and policy change, advancing the constitutional rights of all.” 

🎉🏆 Watch the award video or read more about the award from State Policy Network.

WILL Challenged Unlawful Denial of Transportation Benefits to Families of Private Religious School

A federal district court ruled that the Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and Friess Lake School District violated state transportation law when they refused to approve the transportation attendance area of St. Augustine School, a private school in Colgate, Wisconsin. The Superintendent and Friess Lake denied St. Augustine’s request based on their own unilateral determination that St. Augustine was affiliated with schools of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, even though St. Augustine had shown that it is an independent school with no secular or religious ties to the Archdiocese. WILL then sued on behalf of St. Augustine and the parents of three children who attended the school. Last week, WILL obtained a ruling that the government entities violated state law.

🗯 WILL Deputy Counsel, Anthony LoCoco, said, “It has always been clear that the government has no right to decide the meaning of religious terms such as ‘Catholic,’ much less to deny public benefits based on such determinations. But we are pleased that a Court has now confirmed that doing so violates state law.”

📰 Read more about WILL's recent legal action in The Center Square.

WILL Data Analysis on Wisconsin Student Proficiency

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released the 2021-2022 test scores for all Wisconsin students last Thursday. While DPI is claiming that this data shows “strong signs of recovery”, WILL’s data analysis shows that the effects of the union-led school shutdowns are still being felt across the state.

🗯 WILL Research Director- Will Flanders, PhD- states, "While DPI is spiking the football over improved test scores, a look below the surface shows there is not much to celebrate. Because of the way DPI calculates this data, proficiency rates were necessarily going to increase this year due to fewer students opting out. In reality, proficiency rates were stagnant in math and reading compares to 2020, and remain down from 2019." 

📰 Read Dr. Flander's comment concerning DPI's test scores in the Wisconsin State Journal. 

OP-ED | Ranked choice voting offers promises it can't keep

WILL Senior Research Analyst, Noah Diekemper, writes in the Wisconsin State Journal about the recently gained traction of ranked choice voting. He states that the "Proponents of ranked choice voting suggest it's a solution to our current elections... Those promises are falling flat." 🗳