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Madison — State taxpayers may have to pay $1million or more to the American Civil Liberties Unions and other plaintiffs who successfully sued over the state's voter ID law.

Because those challenging the voter ID law won a ruling in federal court that the measure violates voters' civil rights under the Voting Rights Act, they are entitled to their fees and court costs.

"I think it's likely to go north of a million — the initial request. Who knows how it will shake out," said Larry Dupuis, legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in Milwaukee, who struck down the law Tuesday, will have the final say on how much the plaintiffs will get.

John Ulin, an attorney in the Los Angeles office of Arnold & Porter who is involved in the case, said in a conference call with reporters that the amount would be "substantial" but had not yet been tallied.

The amount could rise — or be wiped out — depending on how the case proceeds on appeal.

In Tuesday's ruling, Adelman struck down Wisconsin's voter ID law, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution by putting an unfair burden on the right to vote. Adelman, a former Democratic state senator, ruled it also violated the Voting Rights Act because the voter ID requirement fell harder on minorities, who are less likely to have photo IDs and documents such as birth certificates that are necessary to get them.

Adelman's ruling dealt with two separate cases challenging the law. Each case has multiple plaintiffs and numerous attorneys, meaning the legal costs could be high.

Among those suing are the national and state ACLU, Cross Lutheran Church, the Wisconsin chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, units of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Milwaukee Area Labor Council. The Advancement Project, a civil rights group based in Washington, D.C., also helped with the legal work.

The groups could ask to recover their legal costs now or wait to see what happens with state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's promise to take the case to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Dupuis and Ulin said it was premature to decide when to ask for the funds.

Katherine Culliton-González of the Advancement Project said Adelman's ruling showed that Wisconsin's continued pursuit of the voter ID law was a "waste of taxpayer dollars."

Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) said he was confident the voter ID requirement would be reinstated on appeal and state taxpayers wouldn't have to pay anything to the ACLU, unions and others involved in the litigation.

"Despite the unions' expenditure of millions to put the Capitol under siege in the last few years, I don't believe they'll see one thin dime for the reasonable photo ID law," he said.

Legal fees can rise quickly in complex litigation. At least 20 attorneys have worked on the cases for the plaintiffs, court records show. They retained numerous experts and took extensive depositions from people who have had trouble getting IDs.

Dupuis said he thought the case required a similar amount of work as litigation brought by the ACLU of Wisconsin over Taycheedah Correctional Institution. That case resulted in a settlement of more than $900,000.

"A million dollars is really not a shocking amount for a case that goes to trial," he said of the voter ID costs.

Even before Adelman's ruling, the voter ID law had been struck down by a state judge. The state Supreme Court is reviewing that decision, as well as another challenge to the law.

For the law to be reinstated, the state would need to overcome all legal challenges, both in state and federal court.

Van Hollen is not seeking re-election, and the candidates running to replace the Republican attorney general disagree over whether Adelman's ruling should be appealed.

Brad Schimel, the Republican district attorney of Waukesha County, said it should be appealed "so citizens have confidence in the integrity our elections."

Three Democrats are running for attorney general — state Rep. Jon Richards of Milwaukee, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne and Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ.

Richards issued a statement Wednesday calling the pursuit of the voter ID law a "ridiculous waste of taxpayer dollars." He said he would not appeal the decision if he were attorney general.

Happ said Adelman's decision was a "victory for the people of Wisconsin." Ozanne said voter ID laws were designed to "suppress voting rights for political gain."

Meanwhile, two Republicans running against each other for Congress — state Sen. Glenn Grothman of West Bend and Duey Stroebel of Saukville — issued statements saying they wanted to hold a special legislation session to reinstate the voter ID law.

Gov. Scott Walker in March backed the idea of a special session if courts ruled against the law. But since Adelman issued his decision, Walker hasn't said whether they would pursue that plan.

Late Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said the Legislature would not take up changes to the voter ID law in special session because he did not think they would satisfy Adelman. Instead, he wants the state to pursue an appeal.

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