, ,

Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against John Doe 2 Investigators

Conservative Group Sought Damages Following Probe Into Walker Recall Campaign

By
Blue tiled exterior of a courthouse building
The federal courthouse for the Western District of Wisconsin in Madison. John K. Wilson/WPR

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against investigators and former state officials involved in a now-halted secret investigation into Gov. Scott Walker’s 2012 recall campaign.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Thursday that U.S. District Judge William Conley tossed the lawsuit by the John K. MacIver Institute, a conservative group. Conley found investigators did not violate the group’s rights under a federal law protecting electronic communications.

Conley ruled investigators properly obtained search warrants for emails from the MacIver Institute as part of the lengthy John Doe investigation, which ended with a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in July 2015.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

MacIver attorney J. Benton Hurst said the ruling will be appealed.

The lawsuit filed in August sought damages from prosecutors and others involved with the investigation.