Free Republic

A prosecutor asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday to reopen his lawsuit challenging Gov. Scott Walker's contentious collective bargaining law, contending a justice who voted to dismiss the suit earlier this year got free legal help from the firm defending the law. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne argued in filings with the court that it should vacate its decision because Justice Michael Gableman never disclosed his arrangement with the Michael Best and Friedrich law firm. Wisconsin's ethics code prohibits state officials from accepting free gifts, and the judicial ethics code bars judges from accepting gifts from anyone likely...

The district attorney who filed a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's law passed this year effectively ending collective bargaining rights for most public workers said Thursday he is considering asking the state Supreme Court to rehear the case. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne told the Associated Press he was looking at making the request after learning that Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman had received free legal services from a firm that defended the law in that case decided in June. Gableman was part of a four-justice majority that upheld the law, which generated massive opposition protests and made Wisconsin the center...

ANDERSON — Civil unrest escalated Thursday while protesters stood outside the Anderson construction site of a city fire station and said the workers on the project were not documented as legal United States residents.

CAMP ECHO, Iraq, Nov. 18, 2008 – The stress of being deployed to a combat zone can make it challenging for soldiers to find a daily battle rhythm. But one soldier here is taking action to make sure both her personal and professional life stay “in step.” Army Sgt. Lucy Dunham instructs Army Staff Sgt. James Cowell and his partner on proper turning techniques during a salsa class on Camp Echo, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carlos Burger II  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “When I found out they had salsa night here, I talked to...

Great Dane makes a deer friend Last Updated: 2:38PM BST 07/05/2008Richard AustinAs Bambi discovered, life as an orphaned fawn can be a bit scary - unless you have a friend called Rocky that is.> Doe-eyed Cindy would have been left all alone in the world were it not for the strong paternal instincts of the Great Dane, who is as protective of her as he is his puppies. Staff at the Secret World Animal Rescue Centre in Highbridge, Somerset, have been caring for Cindy since she was found close to death when she was days old. The 9st dog towers...

Top Democratic elected officials and strategists are engaged in an internal debate over toughening the party's image on illegal immigration, with some worried that Democrats' relatively welcoming stance makes them vulnerable to GOP attacks in the 2008 election. Advocates of such a change cite local and state election results last week in Virginia and New York, where Democrats used sharper language and get-tough proposals to stave off Republican efforts to paint the party as weak on the issue. In Virginia, for instance, where Democrats took control of the state Senate, one high- profile victory came in the Washington suburbs, where...