It’s the latest in a recent trend of holdover appointees, and was initially used by Republicans to prevent Evers from replacing their picks on state boards.
Democrats blasted the situation then but could now be taking a page from the same playbook, aided by a pair of state Supreme Court decisions that essentially renders board terms meaningless.
It began with Fred Prehn, who was appointed to the Natural Resources Board in 2015 by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Prehn disregarded his term’s 2021 expiration date to prevent a Democratic majority from forming on the board. He served about two years beyond his term, casting the deciding vote to increase the quota for the state’s wolf hunt and to scrap limits of so-called forever chemicals in groundwater.
The state Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote by conservative justices, ruled political appointees can remain in their posts until the Senate confirms their successor because the expiration of a term doesn’t in itself create a vacancy. Two of the board’s four conservative members had ties to Walker.
Prehn paved the way for three Walker appointees on the state Technical College System board to serve for nearly two years beyond their terms. Their decisions to stay were less consequential than Prehn’s because the overwhelming majority of the Technical College System Board’s votes were unanimous.
In 2025, a state Supreme Court controlled by liberal justices ruled the leader of Wisconsin’s elections agency may stay in her role until the bipartisan commission chooses to replace her or she resigns. That’s allowed the leader, Megan Wolfe, to serve indefinitely.