Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess brushed aside GOP concerns that striking down the lame-duck laws would leave thousands of other statutes passed in so-called extraordinary sessions susceptible to challenge.
Evers called the ruling a victory, saying Republicans went too far with the lame-duck laws.
Lawmakers passed the lame-duck laws during a December extraordinary session, which is a previously unscheduled floor period initiated by majority party leaders.
They warned the judge that invalidating the concept of extraordinary sessions could expose more than 3,000 pages of laws passed during such sessions to legal challenges.
The judge denied Tseytlin's request for a stay and called the lawyer's warning that an injunction would create legal chaos an "alarmist domino-theory.".
Less than two hours after Niess blocked the laws Evers ordered Kaul to pull out of the lawsuit.
Five labor unions have sued in Dane County arguing that the laws steal power from the executive branch and transfer it to legislators, violating the separation of powers doctrine. »
