Law Forward, Disability Rights Groups Fight to Protect Privacy and Voting Rights of Wisconsinites Under Guardianship
Groups urge Wisconsin Supreme Court to block right-wing group's attempt to access confidential court records
MADISON, Wis. — Law Forward filed an amicus brief today in the Wisconsin Supreme Court on behalf of Disability Rights Wisconsin and the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, urging the court to block an attempt by the Wisconsin Voter Alliance to obtain confidential guardianship records about some of the state’s most vulnerable residents.
The filing comes in Wisconsin Voter Alliance v. Secord, where WVA is seeking access to court documents that record when a person under guardianship has had their right to vote removed. Wisconsin law expressly requires these records, and even the fact that someone is under guardianship, to be kept strictly confidential to protect people with disabilities and older Wisconsinites from exploitation, stigma, and discrimination.
“This lawsuit isn’t about election integrity; it’s an effort to invade the privacy of some of Wisconsin’s most vulnerable residents and to intimidate Wisconsinites from exercising their constitutionally protected right to vote,” said Law Forward President and General Counsel Jeff Mandell. “Individuals under guardianship have strong, carefully designed protections. Among those protections is that individuals under guardianship retain their right to vote until and unless a judge makes a specific finding, based on evidence, that the individual lacks capacity to vote.”
The brief explains Wisconsin law about guardianship, including that being under guardianship does not automatically strip a person of the right to vote. Since 2006, Wisconsin law has required courts to specifically evaluate an individual’s capacity and make a finding based on clear and convincing evidence before removing the right to vote and existing law already requires courts to notify election officials when that happens.
“These records contain sensitive medical and financial information about individuals under guardianship, and the law is clear that these records are to remain confidential,” said Lisa Hassenstab, Public Policy Manager at Disability Rights Wisconsin. “There are very good reasons the Legislature chose to ensure these documents remain confidential, and there is no justification for giving any outside organizations access to these records.”
The case will be argued in the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 21, 2026.
Read Law Forward’s full brief here.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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