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Bills from the 2015–16 session

Assembly Bill 589

Authority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to review a decision of a justice to deny a motion to disqualify the justice

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Dec 10, 2015

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 13, 2016: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Judiciary. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Current law requires a supreme court justice and a judge in the court of appeals, in circuit court, and in municipal court (judge) to disqualify himself or herself from a civil or criminal action or proceeding (action) under certain circumstances, including when a judge is related to any party or counsel to the action, when a judge is a party or a material witness in the action, when a judge has a significant financial or personal interest in the outcome of the action, and when a judge determines that he or she cannot, or it appears he or she cannot, act in an impartial manner. This bill provides that, if a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice denies a motion to disqualify himself or herself from an action, the supreme court may review that decision to deny the motion, and may either affirm or reverse the justice's decision.

Who's behind it

14 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 14 are Democrats.

3 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 17 names

Authors (14)

Signed on in support (3)

What happened

  1. Apr 13, 2016

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Dec 10, 2015

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Judiciary.

  3. Dec 10, 2015

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Dec 10, 2015 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Hebl, Wachs, Berceau, Billings, Johnson, Kahl, Kessler, Kolste, Ohnstad, Pope, Spreitzer, Subeck, C. Taylor and Zepnick; cosponsored by Senators Ringhand, L. Taylor and Vinehout

  2. Dec 10, 2015 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary

  3. Apr 13, 2016 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor