Republicans exercised excessive and arguably corrupt veto power for years in Wisconsin and now the Democratic Governor is returning the chaos in spades. This is a warning to those cheering the Trump dismantling of government precedent. It will come back. Long story short: Wisconsin has 100-year-old law that allows for partial law veto Specifically bars the Governor from vetoing letters and making new words Does not bar the Governor from vetoing hyphens and numbers and whole words So... The Governor vetoed some words, 2 hyphens, and 2 number 20's and changed a funding item meant to expire in 2025 to expire in 2425 (400 years in future) Party line Supreme court says it is stupid but legal Newspapers named the veto a Vanna White Veto back in the 90's Wisconsin Supreme Court Says Governor’s 400-Year Edit Was Within Veto Authority - The New York Times Those Frankenstein and Vanna White Vetoes Republicans Used to Love - Shepherd Express The sentence, dull but clear, was buried 158 pages into Wisconsin’s budget. “For the limit for the 2023-24 school year and the 2024-25 school year,” the sentence read when it was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, “add $325” to the amount school districts could generate through property taxes for each student. But by the time Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and his veto pen were finished, it said something else entirely: “For the limit for 2023-2425, add $325.” It was clever. Creative. Perhaps even a bit subversive, extending the increase four centuries longer than lawmakers intended. But was it legal?
