Washington County, WI passes a Constitutional Rights Resolution

On July 8, 2020, the County Board in Washington County, Wisconsin passed a resolution reaffirming their oaths to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin. The resolution passed with a unanimous vote of 25 to 0. It should be noted that this resolution does not address the Second Amendment specifically. Additionally, in the video embedded below, the County Executive, Josh Schoemann, points out that it is not intended to make Washington County a Sanctuary County. We have found that some counties prefer not to use the terminology “Sanctuary” due to connotations with Sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants.

From the discussion, it appeared that the board really did take this resolution seriously. The supervisors discussed the fact that the resolution originally centered on the Second Amendment, but then the Chinese Coronavirus came along and people in government started restricting the rights of the people. They felt that it was necessary to expand the scope of this resolution to encompass more than just the Second Amendment because it wasn’t just the Second Amendment that was being trampled upon.

Verification Citation/Source: Washington County, County Board of Supervisors
Ordinance date passed: 8 Jul 2020
Vote Count: 25-0

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2020 RESOLUTION 17

Washington County Advocates the Constitutional Rights of its Citizens

WHEREAS, the United States Constitution is the oldest written national constitution in the world and serves as the fundamental document that establishes the role of government and defines the basic rights of all people; and

WHEREAS, the Constitution’s first three words, “We the People” affirm that the United States government exists to serve the people of this nation and not the other way around; and

WHEREAS, the Bill of Rights added the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution in order to provide specific guarantees of personal freedoms, clearly defined limitations on the government’s power, and explicit declarations that all rights and powers not granted to the U.S. Congress are reserved for the states or the people; and

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin which was ratified in 1848 and is one of the oldest U.S. state constitutions still in use ratified the Bill of Rights and contains a Declaration of Rights which states in Article I:

“All people are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; to secure these rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

WHEREAS, each member of the Washington County Board of Supervisors took an Oath of Office swearing to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Washington County Board of Supervisors reaffirms the oath that each of its members has taken.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Washington County Board of Supervisors shall at all times uphold its duty to honor and respect the rights of the citizenry and shall zealously protect the fundamental liberties and freedoms We the People hold dear and sacred and challenge all those who seek to infringe upon the rights of the people;

VOTE REQUIREMENT FOR PASSAGE: Majority

RESOLUTION SUMMARY: Washington County advocates the constitutional rights of its citizens.

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