On Tuesday evening, the Wisconsin Supreme Court made it easier for Gov. Scott Walker's anti-union law to take effect. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, the court overruled a circuit court judge who halted implementing the law, which takes away most collective bargaining rights from public unions, due to technicalities in how the law was passed. If the Supreme Court hadn't taken action, the Sentinel notes, then Republicans in the state legislature would've again had to "take up a contentious issue that spawned weeks of massive protests earlier this year."

The decision means that, for now, the best hope Democrats have of repealing the law is its effort to recall six GOP state senators and vote again in the legislature. Party activists have also vowed to eventually recall the Governor who justified the budget legislation as essential to curb $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

In response to the court's ruling, Walker provided a curt one-sentence statement to news outlets: "The Supreme Court's ruling provides our state the opportunity to move forward together and focus on getting Wisconsin working again."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ehayden at nationaljournal dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Erik Hayden