The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a proposed Kohler golf course.
The Friends of the Black River Forrest argued that the Kohler Company should not be given a section of the state park for the creation of what they called a “world-class” golf course about 10 miles from Kohler headquarters.
The 4-3 ruling states that state law does not protect public use of the park, which the Friends called a “disturbing new precedent”.
The ruling also overturned a standard that was in place since 1975 which stated that the public has standing to challenge the DNR’s decisions on such matters.
The decision was split along party lines, with Justice Rebecca Bradley, who wrote the opinion, joined by fellow conservatives Annette Ziegler, Patience Roggensack, and Brian Hagedorn.
Voting against the opinion were liberal justices Jill Karofsky, Rebecca Dallet, and Ann Walsh Bradley.
