The state Supreme Court has agreed to review a Dane County judge’s ruling that Republican legislative leaders illegally hired private taxpayer-funded attorneys to represent them in anticipation of legal challenges over redistricting. Judge Stephen Ehlke in April voided the GOP’s contracts with two outside law firms. The deals allowed for spending more than $1 million for representation. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu asked the conservative-leaning high court earlier this month to take the case without waiting for a decision from a lower appeals court. The court announced late Thursday it would review Ehlke’s ruling and ordered his ruling stayed while it considers the case.
