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MADISON - The Wisconsin Attorney General says there is no need to change gun laws because of the killing spree at a spa in Brookfield this past week. Radcliffe Haughton bought his gun from a private seller. By law, private sellers are not required to do background checks on the buyer. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says changing the law would be too hard to enforce. "Who is to draw the line between, 'I sold you a firearm, I loaned you a firearm, I've given you a firearm, you've taken the firearm from me?' " asked Van Hollen. "Not to...

MADISON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that they will file a “Petition to Bypass Court of Appeals” and “Motion for Consolidation” with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in each of two legal actions originally commenced in Dane County Circuit Court challenging the state's “Voter ID” law, 2011 Wis. Act 23. The Attorney General will further ask the Supreme Court to immediately stay each of the Circuit Court injunctions against the Voter ID law in a determined effort to ensure the law will be in place for the November 6, 2012, general election.

MADISON — Gov. Scott Walker is pledging to fight the U.S. Supreme Court, vowing that he will not implement the federal health care reform law, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that the law is constitutional. Walker said in a statement shortly after Thursday’s court ruling that he hopes that Republicans will be in control of Congress and that the White House after the November elections and that they will repeal the law. “If there is no political remedy from Washington and the law moves forward, it would require the majority of people in Wisconsin to pay more money for...

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen was asked months ago to assist in a growing secret investigation of former and current aides to Gov. Scott Walker, but Van Hollen's office declined, sources familiar with the request said Tuesday. Van Hollen's agency assisted with at least one previous John Doe investigation run by the Milwaukee County district attorney's office, lending a hand during the probe of then Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee. State Department of Justice officials would not say why they chose not to assist with the investigation of Walker's former county staffers. Sources said the request was made around the time...

Who's been cozying up to the members of the new Congressional super committee? With the committee set to decide on a whopping $1.5 trillion in federal deficit reduction this fall, lobbyists and corporations are trying to figure out which industries are best connected to the 12 members of the new panel. You can bet that those connections will be pressed to the limit in coming months as companies and sectors scramble to ensure that federal spending they like and tax breaks they depend on aren't slated for elimination. As it looks at the new committee members, Wall Street may like...

WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Here is a look at some of the top donors to election campaigns for the 12 members of the U.S. Congress named to a deficit-fighting "super committee." Known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the panel is expected to be the most heavily lobbied body in Washington ahead of its Nov. 23 deadline for making recommendations on $1.5 trillion in additional budget savings. Unless specified, donations below combine members' campaign committees and leadership PACs (political action committees). Data is from www.opensecrets.org. SENATE DEMOCRATS Patty Murray of Washington state * Software giant Microsoft Corp...

The 12 lawmakers appointed to a new congressional supercommittee charged with tackling the nation's fiscal problems have received millions in contributions from special interests with a direct stake in potential cuts to federal programs, an Associated Press review of federal campaign data has found. The newly appointed members — six Democrats and six Republicans — have received more than $3 million total during the past five years in donations from political committees with ties to defense contractors, health care providers and labor unions. That money went to their re-election campaigns, according to AP's review. Supporters say the lawmakers were picked...

All 6 Democrats on Deficit-Reduction Panel Earned 'F's From Taxpayers’ Union Thursday, August 11, 2011 By Terence P. Jeffrey (CNSNews.com) - All six Democrats that have been assigned to the special joint congressional committee that will recommend means for cutting the nation’s anticipated spending by $1.5 trillion over the next ten years compiled voting records last year that earned them grades of “F” from the National Taxpayers Union (NTU). House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) announced today that she has assigned Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (S.C.), Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra (Calif.) and Budget Committee Ranking Member...

Madison - Gov. Scott Walker believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked a judge to allow the state to stop defending it. Democrats who controlled the Legislature in 2009 changed the law so that same-sex couples could sign up for domestic partnership registries with county clerks to secure some - but not all - of the rights afforded married couples. Wisconsin Family Action sued last year in Dane County circuit court, arguing that the registries violated a 2006 amendment to the state constitution that bans gay marriage and any...

In its Citizens United ruling, the Supreme Court held that Americans do not forfeit their First Amendment rights when they join together to form businesses. This hardly remarkable conclusion produced howls of indignation among Democrats, who summarily denounced both the justices and the “corporations,” about which they are inclined to whisper darkly. Now the president is contemplating the imposition of free-speech restrictions through executive fiat. Democrats’ main response to Citizens United was the DISCLOSE Act (if you must know and can stomach it, that’s the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act) which, among other things,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Democratic congressman filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Federal Election Commission, widening efforts to expose anonymous campaign donations as the 2012 U.S. election gets under way. Representative Chris van Hollen, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives' Budget Committee, filed the suit challenging FEC regulations which he said undermined the degree of campaign finance disclosure demanded by U.S. law. "The absence of transparency will enable special interest groups to bankroll campaign initiatives while operating under a veil of anonymity," Van Hollen said in a statement. Democrats claim that attack ads worth millions of dollars...

While the budget for the current fiscal year remains in limbo, Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, fired the first broadside of next year's budget debate on Sunday. Ryan spoke publicly -- albeit without many details -- about his budget proposal which is to be released on Tuesday. Asked about the scale of his budget's spending reductions, Ryan said they would exceed $4 trillion. "We're looking at more than that right now," Ryan said on "Fox News Sunday." "We're fine-tuning our numbers with the Congressional Budget Office literally today, over the weekend. But we're going to be...

In light of Judge Roger Vinson’s ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional, Wisconsin’s attorney general, J. B. Van Hollen, has declared the Badger State free of any obligations imposed by the law. “Judge Vinson declared the health care law void and stated in his decision that a declaratory judgment is the functional equivalent of an injunction,” Hollen says in a statement. “This means that, for Wisconsin, the federal health care law is dead — unless and until it is revived by an appellate court.”

At some point after Jan. 3, when Scott Walker becomes governor, Wisconsin will challenge the constitutionality of the federal law to overhaul the health care system. Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has not decided whether the state will join the lawsuit filed in Florida by 20 other states, the National Federation of Independent Business and two uninsured individuals, or file its own lawsuit. "That work is under way," Van Hollen said. "I have been in discussions not only with my staff but also with staff of both the Florida AG's office and the Virginia AG's office." Joining a lawsuit...

The man House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recruited to maintain the Democrats' control of the House is bucking conventional wisdom that Republicans could enjoy a landslide on election night. "I'm confident we're going to retain the majority and I'm confident that Nancy Pelosi will be Speaker of the House," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). The DCCC is the national organization charged with electing House Democrats. Numerous, skilled political prognosticators suggest that Republicans could score 50 or more seats and win back control of the House for the first time since...

  It is almost beyond belief that Rep. John Adler, a Democrat from southern New Jersey and his allies could successfully plant a fake Tea Party candidate on the ballot in order to draw votes form the Republican candidate Jon Runyon. It is possible that Adler and operatives of the Democratic Congressional Campaign  Committee (DCCC) violated a number of statues and House Rules, but the more pressing priority is for Adler to fully explain his knowledge of these events. Moreover, DCCC Chairman Rep. Chris Van Hollen, at right, must fully explain any role he played, and the role of...

Ethics trials against two top-ranking Democrats could actually help the party this fall, their House campaign chief asserted Thursday. The trials awaiting Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in September will underscore the ethics reforms Democrats put in place in place after taking control of the House in 2006, said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). "It's another example of how we've actually strengthened the ethics process," Van Hollen said during an appearance on MSNBC. The House broke for recess last week after recommending the two lawmakers face proceedings after...

WASHINGTON -- One of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's top lieutenants demanded yesterday that Rep. Charles Rangel quickly settle the swirling ethics charges against him rather than face a trial tomorrow that could embarrass Democratic candidates across the country -- but the disgraced pol isn't going without a fight. "I think it's best that he settle," Rep. George Miller, an influential California Democrat who helped engineer Pelosi's rise to power, told The Post. "Because I just said so, that's why. That's my feeling," he added. Amid mounting pressure on Rangel, Miller's blunt statement is the most direct message from any member...

WASHINGTON -- Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel said yesterday that investigators have unearthed new allegations of misconduct against him, while House Democratic leaders increased the pressure on him to reach a settlement before a congressional trial starts Thursday. "We waited almost two years, and they finally investigated, and guess what -- they have some more alleged violations," Rangel said. The embattled pol did not reveal whether the latest accusations were previously unknown to the public or were related to the original charges that prompted the probe by the House Ethics Committee. The alleged misdeeds include Rangel using House stationery to solicit...

As many as 70 House seats are in play this election cycle, DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen said Thursday as he sought to downplay a rift between House Dem leaders and the WH. "It's between 60 and 70 seats in play. That includes Democrats and Republican seats in play," Van Hollen said on MSNBC Thursday morning, maintaining the midterms will be a choice between Dems and GOPers.(snip) Van Hollen maintained that Dems still have a few targets this Nov., pointing to seats being vacated by Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Mike Castle (R-DE). He also cited seats held by Reps....