MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers are backing a bill that would render a controversial Wisconsin Supreme Court decision obsolete by loosening limits on when people who sue over open records requests can recover attorney’s fees. A conservative majority on the court ruled last year that if an entity decides to turn over records after being sued, requesters could only be awarded attorney’s fees if a court issues a ruling. Liberal justices and open government advocates decried the ruling as gutting Wisconsin’s open records laws. A bill proposed by Republicans Tuesday seeks to allow requesters to recover attorney’s fees if a court decides that a government agency turned over records in response to legal action brought by the requester.
