On 15th Anniversary of Act 10, Here’s Your Reminder that Maria Lazar Defended It

Lazar helped Republicans institute one of the largest rollbacks of workers’ rights in Wisconsin history

a photo of Maria Lazar over a gavel and scales of justice
a photo of Maria Lazar over a gavel and scales of justice

MADISON, Wis. – On the 15th anniversary of Act 10 being signed by former Governor Scott Walker, A Better Wisconsin Together is blasting Judge Maria Lazar’s past work to defend the divisive right-wing effort by former state Republicans to undermine workplace rights and gut public employee unions.

“Judge Lazar played a significant role in helping Republicans institute one of the largest rollbacks of workers’ rights in Wisconsin history, and now she’s asking Wisconsinites for a promotion,” said A Better Wisconsin Together Communications Director Lucy Ripp. “Unfortunately for Lazar, we haven’t forgotten.”

Lazar represented Republican lawmakers in multiple cases related to Act 10. In one case, she argued that it was completely acceptable for legislative Republicans to ignore state open meetings statutes in order to pass Act 10.

After a circuit court judge rejected her arguments, Lazar filed an appeal, again arguing that the legislature was allowed to ignore state open meeting laws. In 2024, a judge struck down parts of Act 10 as unconstitutional. 

Notably, this was not the first time Lazar has been tied to legal decisions or rulings that were later overturned. Lazar’s ruling to hand over sensitive voter data to election deniers was recently overturned by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the very court she’s now seeking a seat on. 

Ironically, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today on yet another questionable ruling from Lazar that is now being challenged. 

“We depend on our elected officials, especially judges, to protect our constitutional rights and freedoms, not bend the rules and ignore the law to shill for a right-wing political agenda as Maria Lazar seems to think,” Ripp concluded.

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A Better Wisconsin Together is a state-based research and communications hub for progressives and is an affiliate of ProgressNow.

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