Overview

• Governor Tony Evers sued the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules after it twice blocked a licensing board ban on conversion therapy and an update to the state’s commercial building standards.
• The committee had relied on a 1992 Wisconsin Supreme Court precedent to veto a range of agency regulations, including environmental safeguards and vaccine requirements.
• Justice Brian Hagedorn joined the majority but cautioned in a partial dissent that the ruling could open a “hornet’s nest of constitutional issues.”
• With the veto power struck down, Wisconsin moves closer to enforcing its ban on the scientifically discredited practice of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy.
• The decision precedes the U.S. Supreme Court’s review of a Colorado case on whether governments can enforce bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors.