Wisconsin Supreme Court to Decide Fate of Governor Evers’ 400-Year School Funding Veto

The case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court centers on Governor Tony Evers’ use of the state’s partial veto powers to create a 400-year school funding increase. Evers struck digits from a budget bill, extending the funding increase for K-12 public schools from 2025 to 2425. The Republican-controlled Legislature and business lobbying groups argue that this veto is unconstitutional and far exceeds the governor’s intended veto power.

At the heart of the issue is whether the governor can manipulate numbers by vetoing digits, a practice not clearly covered by previous constitutional amendments limiting the veto power. Wisconsin’s partial veto authority, granted in 1930, has been curbed over time by amendments in 1990 and 2008, which addressed specific abuses like the “Vanna White” veto and “Frankenstein” veto. These limits were meant to prevent governors from creating new words or sentences by removing parts of the bill.

Evers and his legal team argue that the veto is legitimate, distinguishing between striking digits to create new numbers and the prohibited act of altering letters to form new words. His opponents claim that allowing such vetoes gives governors excessive power to rewrite budgets beyond the Legislature’s intent.

The court’s decision could clarify the extent of gubernatorial veto authority in Wisconsin, building on previous rulings like the one in 2020 that struck down some of Evers’ partial vetoes. Given that the current court is now controlled by liberals, the outcome may also impact future relations between the governor’s office and the Republican Legislature.

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