Proponents of the legislation argued it was necessary to maintain a balance of power among each branch of state government, while opponents said it unfairly restricted the authority of the incoming Democratic administration.

"In the blink of an eye, the lame-duck Legislature fundamentally altered Wisconsin government by arrogating to itself powers recognized for more than two hundred years as within the exclusive province of the Executive Branch, and by enabling a handful of legislators to change the law without the quorum mandated by the Constitution," attorneys wrote in their complaint.

The new lawsuit follows one filed last month by the League of Women Voters, Disability Rights Wisconsin, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities and three Wisconsin voters, alleging the method by which the Legislature passed the bills — an extraordinary session — is unconstitutional.