So Sumi!

News flash: With all of the news coming out of Japan and Libya, I have to report something very important: Scott Walker is still the governor of Wisconsin. And he's still trying to undermine collective bargaining rights for public employees.

But Walker and his allies in Madison got an unexpected setback when Maryann Sumi, a state judge, blocked implementation of the law rescinding such bargaining rights from state workers after a Democratic district attorney sued to stop it. The case against the law is that it was a approved by a bicameral committee for a vote in the legislature as a separate measure from the budget - thus not needing at least one Democratic member of the state Senate - in a meeting for which there was not adequate notice, in violation of Wisconsin's open meetings law. The conference meeting was called by the Republican-majority committee almost literally at the last minute. Also at issue is whether or not the Republicans had a necessary quorum when they passed the law, which Judge Sumi is also considering.

The Democrats have a case in the former dispute. Everyone saw how Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca protested at and against the meeting that made the anti-union, anti-bargaining provision of the budget bill a separate piece of legislation, complaining that there had not been adequate public notice of it . . . and how the Republican-controlled committee ignored him as they voted to separate the provision and then walked out once it was done. They literally pretended that Barca wasn't there.

Judge Sumi says that there's nothing to stop the GOP-controlled legislature from passing the anti-collective bargaining bill again, so long as adequate, timely notice is given. But, as Democratic state senator Bob Jauch noted, it will only serve as notice for workers and union members to congregate in Madison and begin their protests anew.