If the Wisconsin Supreme Court Overturns Act 10, the Impact to Wisconsin Taxpayers Would be in the Billions
Delafield, Wis. – Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Act 10, the Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) is warning that the case could have major consequences for Wisconsin taxpayers, local governments and public schools.
The decision puts the 2011 law back before Wisconsin’s highest court just months after the Wisconsin Court of Appeals upheld Act 10 and reversed a Dane County judge’s ruling striking down key portions of the law.
THE QUOTE: “The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision to take this case means the future of one of Wisconsin’s most consequential reforms is once again on the line,” said Jake Curtis, General Counsel and Director of IRG’s Center for Investigative Oversight. “For more than 15 years, Act 10 has given local governments and school boards the flexibility to control costs, protect taxpayers and put resources where they are needed most. Make no mistake: overturning Act 10 will cost Wisconsin taxpayers billions.”
WHY IT MATTERS: IRG’s Court Watch initiative has documented the significant consequences that could follow if Act 10 is overturned.
Act 10 helped protect taxpayers from unsustainable increases in government spending and property taxes. It also gave locally elected school boards greater flexibility to direct resources into classrooms, special-needs services and teacher compensation while rewarding high-performing educators. Overturning the law could undo more than a decade of those reforms and create major uncertainty for taxpayers, schools and local governments across Wisconsin.
THE BACKGROUND: A Dane County judge struck down major portions of Act 10 in December 2024. In July 2026, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reversed that decision, concluding that the challenge raised issues already resolved by previous decisions upholding the law and that “the challenged Act 10 provisions do not violate the equal protection guarantees set forth in the Wisconsin Constitution.” The plaintiffs subsequently asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take the case. Today, the Court agreed to hear the challenge.
WHAT’S NEXT: IRG’s Court Watch initiative will continue following the case and educating Wisconsinites about what is at stake as the challenge is heard before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.