MADISON, WI (WSAU) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court will appoint two three-judge panels to determine if the state’s congressional districts must be redrawn.
The pending lawsuits claim the current maps are unconstitutional, and unfairly favor Republicans. 6 of Wisconsin’s 8 seats in the House of Representatives are held by the GOP.
The court’s order on Tuesday comes as other states, including Texas and California, are also engaged in high-stakes redistricting battles.
The ruling cites a law from 2011 which called for disputes over voting boundaries to be decided by three-judge panels. The law was passed at a time when the GOP controlled the state legislature and republican Scott Walker was governor. The findings of the 3-judge panels could be appealed to the state Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 liberal majority.
One of the panels will consist of judges from Marathon, Portage and Dane counties. The other panel will consist of judges for Outagamie, Dane, and Milwaukee counties.
The state Supreme Court refused to consider redrawing Wisconsin’s congressional maps in 2025. The legislature and Governor Tony Evers agreed on new maps for the state senate and state assembly a year earlier.
It’s unclear if new congressional maps would be in place for the 2026 midterm elections.
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