A dramatic few hours in the Capitol building in Madison. A Dane County court judge, John C. Albert, all Capitol access restrictions must be lifted by the Department of Administration. This allows open access to the Capitol for the public, including protesters, during business hours. Albert gave a deadline of March 8 at 8am (next Monday) for full implementation; if Gov. Walker and the DOA do not comply, they can be held in contempt of court. Albert also said in his ruling that there have been, based on his investigation, “no injuries or damage to personal or government property,” which is a direct shot at the bogus claim ofmillions of dollars in damages.

However, Albert’s ruling only applies to business hours. Therefore, the Capitol police moved to shut down the building today at 6:00pm. The DOA has the authority to clear out protesters in the Capitol after business hours.

The attorney in the case explained the ruling to the protesters in the Rotunda.

Just after the ruling, protesters found an opening at the State Street entrance to the Capitol. Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs then told them they had to leave after close of business hours or face arrest