Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects request to reconsider redistricting decision

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday denied a request from Republicans to reconsider its decision throwing out the state’s legislative maps. 

The request was denied in a 4-3 decision, moving the state one step closer to having new political maps in place — reversing the partisan gerrymander that has kept Republicans in control of the Legislature since 2011. 

Republicans had requested the reconsideration on the grounds that the Court did not give them enough time to come up with new maps and had ignored their arguments against declaring the maps unconstitutional. 

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the maps argued that many of the state’s legislative districts included disconnected territories when the state constitution requires that all districts be contiguous. The Court ruled on Dec. 22 that the contiguity requirement means new maps must be drawn. 

Last week, Gov. Tony Evers and the group of voters who brought the lawsuit opposed the motion to reconsider, stating that the Republicans’ deadline claims were unreasonable and that the charge that their arguments were ignored amounted to complaining they lost. 

“Respondents’ apparent belief that this Court should have found their arguments more persuasive does not amount to a violation of the federal Constitution,” one filing states. 

Friday is the deadline the Court set for the parties involved in the lawsuit to submit proposed new maps. The Court has hired two independent experts to assess the maps for partisan fairness. If the Legislature and Evers are unable to enact new maps into law, the Court plans to implement its own.