Judge issues order keeping Milwaukee's food truck curfew from taking effect

Judge Jean Kies ordered the curfew cannot take effect until at least June 10, when the city and a food truck owner who brought the lawsuit will be back in court to provide their evidence.

The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously approved the curfew last month, and Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed off on the ordinance.

The new restrictions would require downtown food trucks to close at 10 p.m.; they're currently allowed to stay open until 1 a.m.

Ald. Bob Bauman, who represents downtown Milwaukee, sponsored the new ordinance. Bauman said he did so at the request of the Milwaukee Police Department, which has struggled to maintain order on Water Street during the late-night hours on weekends, as there has been a series of fights and shootings.

Food truck owners, including Abdallah Ismail, have argued the curfew would kill their businesses because the vast majority of their sales come after 10 p.m.

Ismail, who owns The Fatty Patty food truck, filed the lawsuit Thursday. He is being represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a right-wing law firm.