Hagedorn's recusal marks a major blow to Republicans' hopes of a favorable ruling in their quest to uphold the 2011 law that gutted public sector collective bargaining in Wisconsin

A conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice will not participate in a pending case that will determine whether tens of thousands of public sector workers regain collective bargaining rights that were taken away by a 2011 law.

Justice Brian Hagedorn, one of three conservative leaning members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court will not participate in the court’s decision regarding Act 10. In a written order this afternoon, Hagedorn wrote that his prior role as legal counsel to then Governor Scott Walker impeded his ability to be “independent and impartial”.

The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature has asked that a liberal state Supreme Court justice step aside in a pending case that seeks to overturn a 2011 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most state workers.