One of those lawsuits, filed last month by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and other groups, contends the so-called “extraordinary session” held to pass the laws was unconstitutional.

The lawsuit prompted Evers to hire private attorneys to represent him at a cost to taxpayers of as much as $50,000. Republican legislative leaders have retained Misha Tseytlin, the former state solicitor general, as their attorney in that case.

It’s unclear whether GOP lawmakers will hire attorneys, at taxpayer expense, to defend themselves in the new lawsuit.

Liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now is bringing the other lawsuit, which seeks to overturn the provisions of the lame-duck law that curtailed access to early voting. A federal judge last month blocked those changes as part of a previous injunction against previous laws limiting early voting.

In addition, a state lawmaker, Rep. Jimmy Anderson, has asked Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to file suit against state Assembly leaders and void the votes that passed the laws. Ozanne has not said if he’ll act on that request.

Anderson, who is paralyzed from the chest down and requires advance notice of meetings as an accommodation of his health and logistical issues, contends Assembly Republican leaders broke state open-meetings law by not telling him when early-morning votes on the laws would be held.

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