Appeals Court Sides With Evers On Press Access

A federal appeals court has ruled that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers can exclude members of a conservative think tank from attending press briefings and keep them off his email list sent to other reporters.

Friday’s decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a ruling from a lower court.

The MacIver Institute for Public Policy filed the lawsuit in 2019 alleging that Evers violated its staffers’ constitutional rights to free speech, freedom of the press and equal access.

But U.S. District Judge James Peterson in March 2020 rejected their arguments, saying MacIver can still report on what Evers does without being invited to his press briefings or being on his email distribution list.