Gov. Evers signs Bill Tuesday designating the bridge on State Highway 13 and County Highway A over U.S. Highway 10 as the Deputy LaVonne Zenner Memorial Bridge.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Gov. Tony Evers Tuesday signed Senate Bill 507, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 211, designating the bridge on State Highway 13 and County Highway A over U.S. Highway 10 in Wood County as the Deputy LaVonne Zenner Memorial Bridge. 

“Deputy Zenner was an active member of her community committed to serving her friends and neighbors, and it is an honor to designate this bridge in her memory,” said Gov. Evers. “It’s people like Deputy Zenner who truly embody what it means to be a Wisconsinite and make our state and communities better places to live. So, I want to thank the bipartisan legislators who worked to send this bill to my desk on behalf of the Wood County Sheriff’s Department to honor her memory and service.”

Only three weeks after being hired as a full-time deputy for the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Zenner tragically passed away on Aug. 3, 1989, when she was involved in a car accident on her way to meet her field training officer. She was only 39 years old and was survived by her parents, her husband, and her two children, Angela and Eric. In addition to her law enforcement service, Deputy Zenner was an active member of the Marshfield community and in recognition of her dedication to serving her community, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department sought out the designation of this bridge in her memory.

Senate Bill 507, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 211:

• Designates the State Highway 13 and County Highway A bridge over U.S. Highway 10 in Wood County as the Deputy LaVonne Zenner Memorial Bridge.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/joe-manchin-2022-s450.pngDemocratic Senator says he believes everybody has to pay their fair share, but unrealized gains is not the way to do it.

Grant will fund civil legal aid organizations statewide and build a Wisconsin Law Help website.

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Entire Republican Field Would Ban Abortion with No Exceptions

Thursday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Wisconsin governor’s race will determine the future of abortion rights in the state — highlighting how Gov. Tony Evers has remained a brick wall defending the right to choose while the entire GOP field would ban abortion with no exceptions.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, it would immediately reinstate an archaic Wisconsin law banning almost all abortions. In that case, the Republicans running for governor have all said they would not create exceptions for rape and incest.

On whether they would create exemptions for rape, incest, or the health of a woman, here were the GOP candidates’ responses:

• Rebecca Kleefisch: “I would see no change and I would be happy.”

• Kevin Nicholson: “I’m not looking to add exceptions to anything.”

• Timothy Ramthun: “I am hardcore, 100% pro-life without exceptions.”

Meanwhile, Gov. Evers has broadly supported abortion rights, vetoing legislation that would ban abortions and defund Planned Parenthood. 

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again today: as long as I'm governor, I will veto any legislation that turns back the clock on reproductive rights in this state — and that’s a promise,” Gov. Evers said.

Read key excerpts from the article below.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin candidates for governor offer sharp differences on abortion as Supreme Court weighs the future of the procedure

Abortion could wind up as a central issue in the race for governor.

The U.S. Supreme Court this summer will decide whether to keep in place the Roe v. Wade decision. A ruling overturning it could immediately reinstate Wisconsin's 19th-century law banning almost all abortions.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said he believes abortion should be easily accessible. His Republican opponents want to ban most abortions and say they do not want to create exceptions for rape and incest.

The issue offers one of the starkest differences between Evers and his opponents.

[...]

Wisconsin has a law on the books from 1849 that bans abortion except to save the life of a woman. That law has been on hold since Roe was decided in 1973 but would go back into effect if the justices overturned that ruling, as attorneys for Mississippi have requested.

The Republicans running for governor — former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, management consultant Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun — don’t want to create additional exceptions if Wisconsin’s abortion ban is reinstated.

"I would see no change and I would be happy that we would be protecting the unborn," Kleefisch said when asked if she would want to create exemptions from an abortion ban for rape, incest or the health of a woman.

Nicholson struck a similar tone.

"Whatever legislation moves the ball forward and protecting more innocent life, I'm for it. And so I'm not looking to add exceptions to anything," he said in an interview.

Ramthun in a campaign video said he opposed any exceptions to an abortion ban.

“I am hardcore, 100% pro-life without exceptions,” he said.

[...]

The Supreme Court could rule in favor of Mississippi's 15-week ban without explicitly overturning Roe. Such a ruling likely would not immediately change Wisconsin's abortion laws but would give Republicans who control the Legislature a chance to impose new restrictions.

Evers would likely veto any new limits while his opponents would welcome them.

[...]

Ramthun in February joined about two dozen other Republican lawmakers in co-sponsoring a Texas-style bill that would allow private citizens to sue doctors who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The bill never made it to the floor of the Assembly or Senate before the legislative session ended this month.

Evers has broadly supported abortion rights. When he first ran for governor in 2018, Evers said if abortion were banned in Wisconsin, he would pardon doctors who performed the procedure. He said then that he would veto legislation to ban abortion after six weeks.

During his time in office, Evers has vetoed legislation that would ban abortions based on sex, reduce government funding for organizations that offer abortion services and give lifetime prison sentences to doctors if they do not provide medical care to babies who are born after attempted abortions. Evers has said Wisconsin already has laws in place to ensure doctors who don’t provide medical care are prosecuted.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again today: as long as I'm governor, I will veto any legislation that turns back the clock on reproductive rights in this state — and that's a promise,” Evers said in a written statement he issued in December when he vetoed abortion restrictions.

[...]

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday his appointment of Ashley Morse to the Rock County Circuit Court–Branch 4. The appointment fills the vacancy being created by Judge Daniel T. Dillon’s resignation, effective April 5, 2022. Morse will complete a term ending July 31, 2023.

“Ashley Morse is a recognized and accomplished leader whose dedication to improving the legal system, especially the juvenile legal system, and tireless commitment to justice will make her an excellent judge for the people of Rock County,” said Gov. Evers. “I am proud to announce her appointment today, and of the strong, positive impact she will continue to have in the community and in our state.”

Morse has worked for the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office since 2010, and has been based in Janesville since 2014, representing indigent clients as an assistant state public defender in a variety of criminal and civil proceedings in several counties across the state. Locally, she has served on the Rock County Trauma Task Force, the Rock County Youth Justice Racial Disparities Committee, and has coached the Turner High School Mock Trial Team.

“I am proud that Attorney Ashley Morse will be Rock County’s first woman of color to serve as Judge,” said Beloit City Councilor Regina Dunkin. “I know that her caring, intellect, and experience as a public defender will ensure that she applies the law fairly. I am happy to support her appointment and look forward to her many years of dedicated service to the community and rule of law.”

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg once said that: ‘real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.’ I welcome Ashley Morse to the Rock County bench as she takes the next step forward,” said Rock County Circuit Court Judge Barbara McCrory.

Morse lives in Janesville and is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and of the University of Wisconsin Law School. She has worked extensively with the National Juvenile Defender Center (now The Gault Center), including her selection as an Ambassador for Racial Justice. This program, which is jointly sponsored by the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative, is highly selective and seeks defenders committed to challenging racial injustice in the juvenile legal system. As a capstone project, she developed a local training program on the impacts of racial trauma on youth. Her leadership led to her selection as the Racial Disparity Practice Coordinator for the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office, where she is expanding this training.

“I am truly grateful to Governor Evers for the opportunity to serve Rock County as a circuit court judge,” said Morse. “I would like to thank my family, friends, and colleagues for supporting me in this endeavor, and for their unwavering confidence in my ability to serve as a fair and impartial jurist dedicated to treating all individuals with dignity and respect. I am committed to ensuring the dispensation of justice equally for all by bringing a new perspective, expertise, and extensive experience to the bench.”

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