A three-judge panel in Wisconsin threw out a lawsuit attacking the state's congressional map on Tuesday, ruling that state courts have no power to redraw U.S. House districts. Circuit Judges Julie Genovese of Dane County, Emily Lonergan of Outagamie County and Mark Sanders of Milwaukee County issued the decision, leaving in place the state's congressional map. The challengers had argued the map violated the Wisconsin Constitution's guarantee of equal protection, but the court said redistricting for federal offices is "a political question" beyond its reach.
The lawsuit, filed by 12 voters from across the state, zeroed in on the 3rd and 7th Districts that snake from the Mississippi River to the outskirts of Milwaukee and Madison. Their attorneys contended the districts were "malapportioned" and packed Democratic voters to dilute their influence, citing a 7.8-percentage-point gap between the population of the largest and smallest districts. The plaintiffs asked the court to order a new map in time for the August primary, a request the panel rejected without holding a trial. Attorney Jeff Mandell, representing the voters, said the ruling "leaves Wisconsin voters with congressional districts that do not treat their votes equally."
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos praised the decision, calling it "a victory for common sense and the rule of law." U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, who holds the 7th District seat, said the map "respects Wisconsin's natural geography and communities of interest." Democrats signaled they will appeal to the state Supreme Court, where liberals hold a 4-3 majority. Governor Tony Evers' proposal was adopted by the conservative-led court in 2024. Evers declined to comment on the litigation but reiterated his support for "fair maps that reflect Wisconsin's 50-50 electorate."
With the map locked in, Republicans enter the 2026 cycle favored to hold their 6-2 House advantage in a state Joe Biden carried by 0.6 percentage points in the last presidential election. According to the nonpartisan Brennan Center, the current plan gives the GOP an efficiency-gap edge of roughly 7 percentage points. The filing deadline for congressional candidates is June 10, leaving little time for further court action before ballots are printed.
A three-judge panel in Wisconsin threw out a lawsuit attacking the state’s congressional map on Tuesday, ruling that state courts have no power to redraw U.S. House districts. Circuit Judges Julie Genovese of Dane County, Emily Lonergan of Outagamie County and Mark Sanders of Milwaukee County issued the decision, leaving in place the 2024 map that helped Republicans win six of eight House seats despite carrying only 53 percent of the statewide vote. The challengers had argued the map violated the Wisconsin Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, but the court said redistricting for federal offices is “a political question” beyond its reach.
The lawsuit, filed by 12 voters from across the state, zeroed in on the 3rd and 7th Districts that snake from the Mississippi River to the outskirts of Milwaukee and Madison. Their attorneys contended the districts were “malapportioned” and packed Democratic voters to dilute their influence, citing a 7.8-percentage-point gap between the population of the largest and smallest districts. The plaintiffs asked the court to order a new map in time for the August primary, a request the panel rejected without holding a trial. Attorney Jeff Mandell, representing the voters, said the ruling “leaves Wisconsin voters with congressional districts that do not treat their votes equally.”
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos praised the decision, calling it “a victory for common sense and the rule of law.” U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, who holds the 7th District seat, said the map “respects Wisconsin’s natural geography and communities of interest.” Democrats signaled they will appeal to the state Supreme Court, where liberals hold a 4-3 majority. Governor Tony Evers, who drew the current map after the conservative-led court adopted his proposal in 2024, declined to comment on the litigation but reiterated his support for “fair maps that reflect Wisconsin’s 50-50 electorate.”
With the map locked in, Republicans enter the 2026 cycle favored to hold their 6-2 House advantage in a state Joe Biden carried by 0.6 percentage points in the last presidential election. The nonpartisan Brennan Center calculates the current plan gives the GOP an efficiency-gap edge of roughly 7 percentage points, meaning Democrats would need to win statewide by at least that margin to capture a third seat. National Democrats had targeted Wisconsin’s 1st District, held by freshman Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, as a top pickup opportunity; the unchanged lines leave them fighting on turf drawn to favor the GOP by 5 points. The filing deadline for congressional candidates is June 10, leaving little time for further court action before ballots are printed.
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