Update: Wisconsin Supreme Court Denies Vos’s Latest Efforts to Avoid Deposition in American Oversight Lawsuit

Original story from Monday, Jan. 10, 2022

On Monday, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals denied State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’s motion for a stay of his upcoming deposition, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 12, in American Oversight’s lawsuit for records from the state’s ongoing partisan election investigation.

Last week, the Dane County Circuit Court ordered Vos and an aide to answer questions under oath regarding their failure to release public records related to the investigation. 

While Vos and the Assembly have released some records in response to requests submitted by American Oversight, many other documents have not been released. American Oversight is seeking answers from Vos and his aide Steve Fawcett to determine whether they have produced all responsive records as required by Wisconsin law, whether their searches for records have been adequate, and whether any documents that should have been retained were deleted, among other topics.

Following last week’s court order, Vos filed a petition for leave to appeal in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, requesting a stay of his deposition. He also filed a motion in the Dane County Circuit Court to stay discovery pending appeal. As of the time this post was published, the Circuit Court had not yet decided that motion. 

American Oversight’s response to the petition in the appeals court, filed Jan. 10, is available here. Our brief opposing Vos’s motion to stay in the circuit court, also filed Jan. 10, is available here.