LoginDid Wisconsin taxpayers pay $1.6 million over an abortion restriction law that was ruled unconstitutional?
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Yes.
Wisconsin taxpayers paid $1.6 million to Planned Parenthood and others who sued over a 2013 state law that was ruled an unconstitutional restriction on abortion access.
In a new attack, the Wisconsin Democratic Party blamed conservative Brad Schimel for the costs, but he didnβt become state attorney general until 2015.Β
Schimel faces liberal Susan Crawford in the April 1 state Supreme Court election.
The law would have required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where an abortion was done.Β
After Planned Parenthood sued, federal judge William Conley in Madison temporarily blocked the law, then in 2015 ruled it unconstitutional.
Schimel appealed, arguing the restriction was reasonable. A three-judge federal appeals court in Chicago upheld Conley. Schimel asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case, but it refused.
Conley ordered the $1.6 million payment.
Federal law enables plaintiffs to sue for legal fees in successful civil rights cases.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Wisconsin Democratic Party: BradSchimel.org
- Wisconsin Legislative Council: 2013 Wisconsin Act 37
- U.S. District Court: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin v. J.B. Van Hollen β Complaint
- U.S. District Court: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin v. J.B. Van Hollen β Opinion
- U.S. District Court: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin v. J.B. Van Hollen β Judgment
- U.S. Court of Appeals: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin v. Brad Schimel β Appeal
- U.S. Court of Appeals: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin v. Brad Schimel β Decision
- U.S. Supreme Court: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin v. Brad Schimel β Petition
- U.S. Supreme Court: Order List
- U.S. District Court: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin v. J.B. Van Hollen β Amended Judgment
- Wisconsin Blue Book: Brad Schimel attorney general tenure
- Mother Jones: Red States Are Paying Planned Parenthood Millions for Suing Them
Did Wisconsin taxpayers pay $1.6 million over an abortion restriction law that was ruled unconstitutional? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
