Maybe there is some justice after all.
First the Dane County DA filed charges against Republican leaders in the legislature for violating the state open meetings law in their rush to railroad a union-busting bill last week.
Then Gov. Walker agreed to a lawsuit settlement agreeing to release emails sought by Isthmus and the Associated Press.
As part of the settlement, the governor's office agreed to pay just over $7,000 in plantiffs' attorney fees and costs.
But the settlement says this payment
"is not nor is it to be construed as any admission of liability or of a violation of the public records law by Defendants, their agents, their officers or their employees."
Right.
Meanwhile, the GOP continues to operate by its own set of rules and outside the law, today barring the public from a "public meeting" of the Building Commission. Two Dems, State Sen. Fred Risser and State Rep. Mark Pocan, refused to participate.
Every day, the GOP pours more gasoline on recall fires. They appear to be clueless -- or maybe couldn't care less -- about public reaction to this continued high-handed behavior.
Unfortunately, no one goes to jail for violating open meetings laws, but maybe they'll at least be shamed by a fine (if they have any shame, which is doubtful.) [UPDATE: The DA is asking that the action on the budget review bill be voided, but the GOP has the votes to pass it again legally if it comes to that.]