× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa on Tuesday ordered a halt to the John Doe investigation that targeted the recall campaign of Gov. Scott Walker and “all or nearly all right-of-center groups and individuals in Wisconsin who have engaged in issue advocacy from 2010 to the present.”

In issuing his preliminary injunction, Randa sided with Wisconsin Club for Growth, finding the John Doe probe into alleged illegal campaign coordination is hampering the group’s constitutionally protected right to free speech.

The Milwaukee-based judge ordered prosecutors to “cease all activities related to the investigation, return all property seized in the investigation from any individual or organization and permanently destroy all copies of information and other materials obtained through the investigation.”

Randa’s granting of a preliminary injunction Tuesday also revealed new details about the secret investigation, which has been the subject of both intentional and inadvertent leaks in recent months. The ruling confirmed that Walker’s recall campaign is a prime target of the five-county probe launched in 2012.

Observers said the ruling could have “huge” implications for the application of Wisconsin’s campaign finance laws and the power of state prosecutors.