Federal judge rules Wisconsin union changes legal

A federal judge has ruled Republican Gov. Scott Walker's controversial law stripping most public workers of nearly all their union rights is constitutional.

U.S. District Judge William Conley's decision Wednesday comes in a lawsuit Madison and Dane County workers filed in July 2011 alleging the law violated their constitutional right to freely assemble and equal protection because it imposes wage limits on union employees but none on non-union workers.

Conley wrote the law still allows workers to assemble and lets them speak; it simply doesn't allow  employers to listen. As for the equal protection argument, the judge said the government can treat represented and non-represented employees differently.

Katy Lounsbury, one of the workers' attorneys, disagreed with the ruling but said she'd have to consult with her clients about an appeal.