Wisconsin’s liberal‑managed Supreme Court docket, locked in a 4–3 ideological cut up, refused to intervene in Democratic efforts to redraw the state’s GOP‑dominated congressional map.
Democrats declare the maps are a gerrymandered energy seize, crying foul as they see their roadmap to regaining Home management vanish.
The Elias Legislation Group and Marketing campaign Authorized Heart filed dual petitions in May, urging the Court docket to invalidate the 6‑2 Republican‑leaning congressional configuration, claiming it violates the state’s constitutional promise of equal illustration.
Susan Crawford gained the race handily in April and now sits on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court docket.
She’s a former legal professional for Deliberate Parenthood, combating to maintain abortion unrestricted, and he or she’s bragged about main the cost in opposition to Act 10—the regulation that curbed public union energy underneath Governor Scott Walker. She referred to as voter ID legal guidelines “draconian” and labored with the League of Girls Voters to dismantle them.
It took Wisconsin Democrats somewhat over one month to name on the Supreme Court docket to toss out the present congressional map within the state.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
The Wisconsin Supreme Court docket on June 25 rejected a request to rethink the state’s congressional maps forward of subsequent 12 months’s midterm elections, all however making certain the present maps will stay in place for 2026.
The liberal-controlled court docket’s resolution, which was made with out remark from the justices, marked the second time up to now two years that the court docket has rejected a push from Democrats to alter the battleground state’s federal maps, which at the moment favor Republicans six Home seats to 2. It’s a loss for Democrats who sought extra favorable traces as they intention to retake management of the Home in 2026.
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The state’s present congressional lines have been drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The state Supreme Court docket approved his set of maps in 2022 as a result of it made the least adjustments in comparison with ones submitted by Republicans and others.
The U.S. Supreme Court docket in March 2022 rejected the state’s legislative maps, additionally drawn by Evers, however declined to dam the congressional traces on the time.
Democrats, nonetheless, argued that Evers’ congressional maps have been drawn underneath these now-defunct “least change” constraints.
Wisconsin has solely two aggressive districts — the first Congressional District held by U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil and the the third Congressional District held by U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Each males are Republicans. There are six Republicans and two Democrats in Wisconsin’s Home delegation.
