Senate GOP in Wisconsin Orders Police to Take AWOL Dems Into Custody

"Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate passed a resolution Thursday calling for police to take 14 Democrats into custody for contempt after they fled to Illinois to avoid voting on a bill that would strip public-sector unions of nearly all their collective bargaining rights.

"Republicans voted 19-0 to give Democrats until 4 p.m. Thursday to return to the chamber or be found "in contempt and disorderly behavior."

"The vote comes two weeks after the Democrats left, effectively delaying the vote on Gov. Scott Walker's proposal.

"Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said the action is legally different from an arrest, but 'definitely a shift from asking them politely.'"

The rest of the article is here.

Article IV, Section 7, of the Wisconsin Constitution proves as follows:

"Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members; and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide."

That being said, Article IV, Section 15, of the Wisconsin Constitution proves as follows:

"Members of the legislature shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest; nor shall they be subject to any civil process, during the session of the legislature, nor for fifteen days next before the commencement and after the termination of each session."

Certainly, the AWOL Democrats will go to court to fight this compulsion. We shall wait to see what the Wisconsin Supreme Court does, I suppose. In the meantime, it is clear that Walker and Fitzgerald will stop at nothing to reduce the state budget deficit. Without real public sector reforms, the outrageous spending cycles will continue to repeat themselves.