Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the Circuit Court of Waukesha County, Wisc., in Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce v. Evers. This case concerns the Wisconsin Department of Public Health’s plan to release the names of businesses where at least two employees had tested positive for COVID-19. The plaintiffs (several business groups) obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent release. The plaintiffs argued that releasing business names would violate patient confidentiality laws and harm Wisconsin businesses. The amicus brief argues there is no statutory bar to release because the records would not identify individual patients. The brief also argues that the plaintiffs’ position is incompatible with the mandate to broadly construe the Wisconsin Public Records Law in favor of disclosure. [2020]
