The Role of the Wisconsin Attorney General in Charity Oversight: A Review of Past Practice, Current Law, and Their Implications

Description

Historically, the Wisconsin Attorney General has played a limited public role in charity oversight, focusing mostly on some regulation of fundraising under the auspices of consumer protection. Recently, however, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has challenged that quiet role. In April 2009, he filed a motion to intervene in the litigation involving a Wisconsin nonprofit corporation, the Conserve School, a case that garnered national attention. The judge's ruling in this case has highlighted constitutional and statutory constraints on the Wisconsin Attorney General's authority to act.