Former legislator drops hiring lawsuit

MADISON (AP) - A former state lawmaker has dropped a federal lawsuit claiming she wasn't hired for a legislative job because she's a Republican.

Sheryl Albers alleged her civil rights were violated when a Democrat, Mark Pocan, didn't hire her for a non-partisan job as clerk of the Joint Finance Committee in 2009.

State attorneys argued that Albers wasn't hired because, as a legislator, she had a history of partisanship. Albers' lawyer, Jeff Olson, tells the State Journal a recent ruling by a federal judge in Madison made his client's case more difficult to prove. Judge Barbara Crabb ruled a government employer can consider a job applicant's history of partisan activity in making a hiring decision.

Albers also agreed to withdraw her complaints before the state Equal Rights Division and the federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.