A Wisconsin judge ruled Friday that a controversial state law limiting unions’ rights is unconstitutional, a decision Gov. Scott Walker is “confident” will be overturned on appeal.
Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas struck down the law, which essentially eliminated collective-bargaining rights for most public employees, as a violation of the state and U.S. Constitution, according to The Associated Press.
Walker won a June recall election that was widely viewed as a referendum on the law, which he had proposed. After Friday’s ruling, the governor called Colas “a liberal activist judge” who “wants to go backwards.”
“The people of Wisconsin clearly spoke on June 5th. Now, they are ready to move on. Sadly, a liberal activist judge in Dane County wants to go backwards and take away the law-making responsibilities of the legislature and the governor,” Walker said in a statement. “We are confident that the state will ultimately prevail in the appeals process.”