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Democratic voters on Thursday requested the liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court docket to throw out the battleground state’s present congressional district boundaries after an identical request was rejected final yr.
Republicans at the moment maintain six of the state’s eight U.S. Home seats — however solely two of these districts are thought-about aggressive. The petition seeks to have the state’s congressional district strains redrawn forward of the 2026 midterms. Filed on Wednesday and made public Thursday, the petition comes from the Elias Regulation Group, which represents Democratic teams and candidates and in addition filed final yr’s request.
The brand new petition argues that the courtroom’s resolution to redraw maps for state legislative districts a pair years in the past has opened the door to revisiting maps for U.S. Home districts. The petition asks for the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket to take the case straight, skipping decrease courts.
The chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Social gathering, Brian Schimming, referred to as the lawsuit “a determined try by far-left Democrats who’ve proven time and time once more that they will’t win with out rigged maps.”
However Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, who criticized the state Supreme Court docket for not listening to the lawsuit final yr, praised the brand new effort.
“The residents of Wisconsin deserve truthful maps,” Pocan mentioned in a textual content message. “Hopefully this may present that.”
The courtroom is managed 4-3 by liberal justices. Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford gained an April election to make sure the courtroom will stay underneath a 4-3 liberal majority till at the very least 2028.
Redistricting was a difficulty in that race after Crawford spoke at a digital occasion billed as a “probability to place two extra Home seats in play,” a transfer that Republicans mentioned reveals that Crawford is dedicated to redrawing congressional districts to profit Democrats. Crawford denied these allegations.
The courtroom in 2023 ordered new maps for the state Legislature, saying the Republican-drawn ones have been unconstitutional. The GOP-controlled Legislature, out of concern that the courtroom would order maps much more unfavorable to Republicans, handed ones drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Democrats made features within the state Legislature within the November election and are hoping to take majority management in 2026.
When ordering the state legislative maps redrawn, the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket mentioned the sooner conservative-controlled courtroom was fallacious in 2021 to say that maps drawn that yr ought to have as little change as attainable from the maps that have been in place on the time. The most recent lawsuit argues that call warranted changing the congressional district maps that have been drawn underneath the “least change” requirement.
In 2010, the yr earlier than Republicans redrew the congressional maps, Democrats held 5 seats in contrast with three for Republicans.
Democrats are eyeing two congressional seats for attainable flipping in 2026.
Western Wisconsin’s third District is represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who gained an open seat in 2022 after longtime Democratic Rep. Ron Type retired, and gained reelection in 2024.
Southeastern Wisconsin’s 1st District, held by Republican Rep. Bryan Steil since 2019, was made extra aggressive underneath the most recent maps however nonetheless favors Republicans.
The present congressional maps in Wisconsin, drawn by Evers, have been accredited by the state Supreme Court docket. The U.S. Supreme Court docket in March 2022 declined to dam them from taking impact.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative tales and Friday information roundup. This story is printed in partnership with The Related Press.
