MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A judge on Friday delayed until at least next month any action in a lawsuit that seeks to force the mayors of Madison and Green Bay to face jail or sit for depositions with the attorney hired by Republicans to investigate the 2020 election.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez set the next hearing in the case after a Dane County judge hears arguments in a separate case filed by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul.
A ruling in that case would likely affect the lawsuit targeting the mayors, leading the judge on Friday to delay any action until after that Dec. 23 hearing. Attorneys for the mayors and Michael Gableman, the lead investigator, did not object to the delay.
Kaul argues that the subpoenas issued to state elections officials as overly broad, unenforceable and illegal because the attorney hired by Republicans wants to conduct the interviews in private, not before a legislative committee in an open hearing.
Gableman was hired by Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and has a budget of nearly $680,000 in taxpayer money.
Democrats decry the investigation as a sham given that some of those hired by Gableman worked in the administration of former President Donald Trump or have supported conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
Vos and Republicans defend the probe, saying they are trying to address issues raised by voters and others about procedures in place, and private grant money awarded to heavily Democratic cities, during the...
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