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Kaul Shifts Direction Of Wisconsin Department Of Justice

Attorney General Says He's Not Being Ideological, Just Views Law Differently

By
Josh Kaul
Attorney General Josh Kaul is seen prior to Gov. Tony Evers’ first State of the State address in Madison, Wisconsin, at the state Capitol building on Jan. 22, 2019. Emily Hamer/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Wisconsin’s new Democratic attorney general is shifting the state Justice Department away from his Republican predecessor’s conservative stances on everything from health care to high-capacity wells.

Josh Kaul defeated Attorney General Brad Schimel in November as part of a Democratic sweep of all statewide offices.

In his first four months in office, Kaul has fulfilled his campaign promise to withdraw Wisconsin out of a multistate lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.

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He has also switched sides in lawsuits over whether the state Department of Natural Resources can legally impose tighter regulations on factory farms and high-capacity wells, re-aligning with environmental advocacy group Clean Wisconsin.

Republicans said Kaul can’t be trusted to defend GOP-passed laws, but Kaul said he’s not being ideological and he just views the law differently.