What Rule of Law?

The union-bashing Governor of Wisconsin and his Republican minions managed to pass a bill abolishing collective bargaining for public unions.

The State Supreme Court issued a restraining order.

The Republicans ignored it.

Wisconsin Republicans made up a new process because they felt like it: bill passes legislature, bill signed by governor, bill goes around by Secretary of State's office, bill published by some agency called the Legislative Reference Bureau, law is on the books.

The Legislative Reference Bureau itself said it can't publish measures into law and also can't take the place of the Secretary of State's office, but the Wisconsin GOP doesn't care. They're making up the rule of law as they go along.

Not surprisingly, the Judge issued another restraining order. Still, the GOP doesn't care. The rules only apply to the other people.

Almost immediately after Judge Sumi issued this new order, some Republicans said that as far as they're concerned, the union-busting measure is still the law, court order or no court order.....

The Walker administration's Department of Justice said, "Whether the Department of Administration or other state officers choose to comply with any direction issued by Judge Sumi is up to them."

Look, this is a Constitutional crisis. You don't get to ignore the court, regardless of your power-mad ideology. As the Judge said,

"Now that I've made my earlier order as clear as it possibly can be, I must state that those who act in open and willful defiance of the court order place not only themselves at peril of sanctions, they also jeopardize the financial and the governmental stability of the state of Wisconsin."

Still snorting at the scent of fascism?