Conservative news outlets sue Wisconsin Parole Commission over records request

A Wisconsin-based conservative news outlet filed a lawsuit this week against the state Parole Commission over its failure to comply with several public record requests earlier this year.

Wisconsin Right Now, a right-leaning publication based out of Hubertus, alleges the Commission failed to produce records in response to a series of requests from the news outlet regarding parolees who are violent offenders. 

The requests were part of a series of articles the outlet was publishing highlighting how many violent offenders were released on parole under the leadership of Democrat Governor Tony Evers. The series is published under the heading, “Evers killers and rapists.”

At the time of the original records request in May, the Commission reportedly provided records for violent offenders released on parole up until 2021, and agreed to send updated records once they were available. According to the court filing, however, the Commission did not provide the updated records.

The topic of paroling violent offenders has been prevalent in Wisconsin politics recently, with Governor Evers removing John Tate as chairman of the commission in June after controversy arose surrounding a decision by Tate to release an offender who had stabbed his wife to death after serving only 25 years of the 80 he was originally sentenced to serve.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels called on Evers last week to halt all paroles.