The court upheld the ruling that the John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy was denied access to briefings due to its improper news-collecting operation.
did not violate the First Amendment by barring a conservative think tank from press briefings.
However, other courts ruled that Evers was not violating the First Amendment by barring the group. In March of 2020, U.S. District Judge James Peterson rejected the suit by saying the group was not prohibited from reporting on the Democratic governor, as they could still publish reports on him and his policies outside of daily briefings.
"MacIver publicly brands itself as a think tank committed to ideological principles. It engages in policy-driven political advocacy, including advocating for specific initiatives and policy approaches," Peterson said in his ruling."It has a 'news' tab on its website, but it does not maintain a news-gathering organization separate from its overall ideological mission."
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers did not violate the First Amendment by barring a conservative think tank from press briefings. Above, Evers, a member of Wisconsin's Electoral College, casts his vote for the presidential election at the state Capitol on December 14, 2020, in Madison, Wisconsin.Former Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, joined in the institute's bid for high-court review. Evers defeated Walker in 2018.