Wisconsin's attorney general said Saturday he would seek court permission to keep enforcing a state law that effectively ended collective bargaining for public employees while his office appeals a judge's ruling striking it down.

A Dane County judge issued a ruling Friday overturning almost all of the law that has been a hallmark of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's tenure and helped turn him into a national conservative hero.

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, also a Republican, said in a statement that he believes the law "is constitutional in all respects" and should remain in effect while he appeals the judge's decision.

Walker's office also has vowed to appeal, while the public worker unions that vigorously opposed law have hailed the decision as a victory.

As has been the case since Walker proposed the law shortly after taking office in 2011, the latest developments have been highly political.