Patrick MarleyMADISON – The Wisconsin Supreme Court slammed down Assembly Speaker Robin Vos' attempt to avoid a deposition late Tuesday, setting the stage for him to take questions under oath Wednesday over whether he has followed the state's open records law.
It was the third court defeat for the Rochester Republican in a little over 24 hours as he sought to avoid answering questions from the liberal group American Oversight. The group has been seeking records of a partisan review of the 2020 election ordered by Vos.
The high court in a 4-3 ruling threw out Vos' last-minute request to cancel his deposition just hours after he made it. The majority consisted of the court's three liberals and Justice Brian Hagedorn, who was elected in 2019 with the support of Republicans.
It's the latest instance of Hagedorn splitting with the court's conservatives on politically charged issues.
Vos is slated to take questions just hours before he is scheduled to begin headlining a two-day fundraiser in Key West, Florida, for the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee. The $6,000-per-person event includes a tour of Ernest Hemingway's home and a catamaran sailing trip.
Vos faced his first setback last week, when Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn ruled that he and staff attorney Steve Fawcett would have to sit for depositions about how they responded to records requests and a court order.
Vos asked the District 3 Court of Appeals to keep him from having to sit for the deposition. On Monday, the appeals court unanimously declined to do that, saying Vos hadn't shown any harm he would suffer by answering questions.
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