AB 54/SB 75: Backwards Bail Reform Trailer Bill

Voters will decide on April 4 whether to enshrine cash bail into the WI Constitution, thus creating a two-tiered criminal justice system: one for the wealthy and one for the rest of us.

Wisconsin’s reliance on cash bail has perpetuated a two-tiered system of justice: one for the wealthy and one for the rest of us.

A referendum that would enshrine cash bail into Wisconsin’s Constitution will be presented to voters on the statewide April 4, 2023 ballot. If the referendum passes, AB 54/SB 75 would exacerbate inequities in the state’s cash bail system and raise significant concerns under the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment and the excessive bail prohibition under the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.