WJI reads for Sept. 17, 2021

Waupaca Now: Case before State Supreme Court could force counties to appoint lawyers in criminal cases sooner.

Library of Congress: Happy Constitution signing day!

Post Crescent: WILL sues to block town's voter-approved transportation utility fee.

The suit alleges the town's transportation utility fee is an illegal tax that violates state levy limits and the uniformity clause of the Wisconsin Constitution. 

WILL is asking the court to declare Buchanan’s transportation utility fee illegal and issue an injunction to prevent it from levying, enforcing or collecting the fee.

Since Buchanan voters approved the transportation utility fee in 2019, the additional money collected caused the town to exceed its property tax levy limit of $2.4 million in 2020. 

The New York Times: U.S. Justice Department will review enforcement of anti-discrimination clauses in federal grants to police.

In a memo on Wednesday written by Vanita Gupta, the associate attorney general, and obtained by The New York Times, the Justice Department announced a 90-day review that will examine whether it was doing enough to ensure that federal funds were not distributed to law enforcement organizations that engage in discrimination.

Approximately $4.5 billion in federal funding flows through the department to police departments, courts and correctional facilities, as well as victim services groups, research organizations and nonprofit groups. All of these organizations, not just police departments, could be affected by this review. The department sought to increase that amount in its latest budget request to $7 billion for the next fiscal year.

The results of the review could allow the department to re-evaluate which groups receive federal grants or to ask the courts to require recipients to change their policies or procedures in order to continue receiving the funds.

The Hill: U.S. Supreme Court hits new low in job-approval ratings.

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