Wisconsin's conservative-controlled Supreme Court handed Republicans their newest weapon to weaken any Democratic governors in the battleground state, ruling this week that political appointees don't have to leave their posts until the Senate confirms their successor.
The court's decision — in the case of a conservative who refused to step down from an environmental policy board for more than a year after his term expired — marks another loss for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers as he faces reelection in November. Republicans have worked to reduce Evers' powers since even before he took office and have refused to confirm many of his appointees. This week's ruling gives them the ability to block them simply by declining to hold a nomination vote.
