Entrance to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Photograph by Margo Kirchner. By Alexandria StaubachWisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill Karofsky last week made good on a November 2025 promise to hold a public hearing regarding judicial recusal rules. The hearing on June 4 addressed a rule change petition filed by five retired judges regarding recusals related to campaign donations. Sarah B. O’Brien, John W. Markson, Richard G. Niess, J. David Rice, and Richard J. Sankovitz filed the petition in January. Karofsky opened…
Continue Reading Lengthy hearing on proposed recusal rule revision includes concerns of court transparency and free speech

New DOJ Opinion Changes Hiring Discrimination Rules for U.S. EmployersA new legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reshaping how employment discrimination claims based on unequal outcomes may be handled. On June 9, 2026, the U.S. DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued a formal legal opinion concluding that the EEOC’s approach to disparate-impact liability is unconstitutional. While this theory of discrimination still exists, the opinion narrows it and raises the bar for employees who bring…
Continue Reading New DOJ Opinion Changes Hiring Discrimination Rules for U.S. Employers

On May 21, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released a policy memo limiting the issuance of green cards based on adjustment of status to applicants demonstrating the need for extraordinary relief. The policy memo states that adjustment of status should be a discretionary measure, not an expected benefit. Absent extraordinary circumstances, applicants seeking permanent residency should follow the traditional consular visa process in their home country.
The policy memo applies to applicants who are permitted to seek…
Continue Reading UPDATE: USCIS Limits Adjustment of Status to Applications Demonstrating Need for Extraordinary Relief

In April 2026, Governor Evers signed into law two significant bills addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Wisconsin Legislature, alongside the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has worked on PFAS-legislation for the past decade, and on the newly enacted
2025 Wis. Act 200 and
2025 Wis. Act 201 since March 2025. Acts 200 and 201 create exemptions under the state Spills Law, establish new PFAS grant programs and funding allocations, and expand the ​DNR’s​ responsibilities related to…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Addresses PFAS Contamination and Creates Exemptions

Wisconsin Supreme Court Hands Landlords a Win in Koble Investments v. Marquardt “The law does not allow a tenant to occupy premises rent-free simply because the lease is void and unenforceable.” (Justice Rebecca Bradley, writing for the majority in Koble Investments v. Marquardt, 2026 WI 19, ¶ 28.) On Friday, June 5, 2026, the Wisconsin […]
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Hands Landlords a Win in Koble Investments v. Marquardt

On June 4, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a new National Enforcement Plan (NEP), effective immediately, replacing the Biden-era Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP). The NEP realigns federal enforcement around the current administration’s priorities and signals a significant shift in how workplace discrimination claims will be investigated and litigated. For employers, the change reshapes where federal risk will change and diverge from state law obligations.EEOC Deprioritizes Disparate Impact
Where the SEP prioritized adverse/disproportionate impact, the NEP (using…
Continue Reading New EEOC Enforcement Plan Immediately Reshapes Employer Compliance Risks

Another session of the Minnesota legislature has come to a close, which brings with a new round of changes to Minnesota’s cannabis laws. With this session, SF 4401 was the omnibus cannabis bill that did the heavy lifting when it was signed by the governor at the end of the legislative session. To keep things interesting (and shorter), I will call it the “Cannibus Bill” throughout. In this post (and likely multiple parts to follow), I will break down…
Continue Reading Minnesota Adult Use Cannabis: Cannabis Cleanup

If I were handed a stack of medical records and told that a disability insurance company denied this patient’s claim, I could often point to the exact appointment they relied on. More often than not, it would be the one that says: “Patient improving.”

This can be one of the most damaging phrases in a Long-Term Disability (LTD) claim. It might sound like a good thing, as everyone wants to improve. The problem is that disability insurance companies often…
Continue Reading How One Line in Your Medical Records Can Damage Your Long-Term Disability Claim

If you’ve been hurt at work, your focus should be on getting better. But what happens if the best treatment isn’t in Wisconsin or you move out of state while your worker’s compensation claim is still open? This is where things can get complicated.

Many injured workers assume they can treat wherever they want. Others worry they’ll lose benefits entirely if they leave the state. The truth is somewhere in the middle
Out-of-State Treatment is not Automatically Compensable
Under…
Continue Reading Can You Get Treatment in Another State for Your Wisconsin Work Injury? What You Need to Know About Out-of-State Medical Treatment for Worker’s Compensation Claims.

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is rapidly reshaping the way workplaces function, especially in health care. While AI offers meaningful opportunities to streamline employer processes and increase efficiency, its adoption is outpacing the development of legal standards and governance structures. Moreover, a patchwork of state and local laws that seemingly conflict with current federal policy further muddy the waters for employers attempting to assess and navigate the risks associated with AI use in the employment space.
AI’s Growing Role in Employment…
Continue Reading Navigating AI in the Workforce Without Clear Legal Guardrails

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) posted Advisory Opinion 26-11 (“Advisory Opinion”) on May 20, 2026. This favorable opinion concerns a precision oncology company (“Requestor”) providing free supplemental reports to patients based on its algorithmic analysis, which functions as a Multi-Cancer Detection Test (“Algorithmic Analysis”). Although OIG found that the Arrangement (defined below) implicates both the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) and the Beneficiary Inducements Civil Monetary Penalty Law (“CMP”), OIG approved the…
Continue Reading OIG Issues Favorable Opinion Allowing Precision Oncology Company to Provide Free Supplemental Reports Displaying Multi-Cancer Detection Test Results

From time to time, we like to take a break from reporting the headlines and tell you what our real estate attorneys, paralegals and consultants are working on across the country.

  • Senior Housing Projects – We can’t say enough about the high level of senior housing activity right now. The public Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) are buying everything in sight, or so it seems. We’re working with several regional senior housing developers and operators on the disposition of

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: What’s on Our Desk

    June 5, 2026 – A City of Milwaukee election official wanted to show it’s easy to fraudulently obtain absentee military ballots.

    In succeeding, she committed election fraud, the District I Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed in State v. Zapata, No. 2025AP425-CR (May 12, 2026).

    “We conclude that Wis. Stat. § 12.13(3)(i) prohibits making false statements for the purpose of actually or constructively obtaining an absentee ballot, and [Kimberly D.] Zapata constructively obtained the ballots she requested,” wrote…
    Continue Reading Wisconsin Court of Appeals: Intent Didn’t Prevent Election Fraud

    Employers operating in Columbus, Ohio, have approximately six months left to prepare for a significant change in hiring practices.

    Effective January 1, 2027, the City of Columbus will begin enforcing its pay transparency requirements under Ordinance 2898-2025, which will require covered employers to include a “reasonable salary range or scale” in employment postings.

    While some employers may view this as a simple change to job advertisements, the reality is that pay transparency laws often expose broader compensation, equity, and…
    Continue Reading The Countdown to Columbus Pay Transparency: What Employers Should Be Doing Now

    Nonresident Wisconsin lawyers in Minnesota gathered for an outing in Minneapolis on May 12. The NRLD seeks leaders to help organize events for chapters around the U.S.

    With almost 30 percent of its members residing and practicing outside the State of Wisconsin, the State Bar created the Nonresident Lawyers Division (NRLD) as a mechanism to keep its members connected and involved, and their ties to Wisconsin active and based on real professional links.

    The NRLD ensures the State Bar’s…
    Continue Reading NRLD Seeks Chapter Leaders