Liberal law firm again asks Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider congressional maps

Yahoo

20-05-2025

A Democratic law firm has again asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider the state's congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterms, a request the court has previously rejected.
Elias Law Group, chaired by Marc Elias, who has led previous voting access lawsuits in Wisconsin and across the country, filed a petition with the high court May 8 on behalf of Wisconsin voters.
"Wisconsin's current congressional map has unfairly rewarded Republicans with a significant electoral advantage and will continue to do so for the remainder of the decade," Elias Law Group partner Abha Khanna said in a release.
The firm argues the congressional map was drawn based on a "least change" principle the court abandoned when it struck down the state's legislative maps in December 2023. That concept refers to favoring maps that minimize changes to existing boundary lines.
New maps for the state Assembly and Senate greatly reduced the GOP advantage in the Capitol and allowed Democrats to pick up several seats in November, though they fell short of flipping the state Legislature.
Elias Law Group filed a similar petition last year, asking the court to reconsider the U.S. House boundaries, but the court rejected the last-minute push.
More: Why does Wisconsin have new legislative maps, but not new congressional ones?
Wisconsin has only two competitive districts, held by U.S. Reps. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden, both Republicans. There are six Republicans and two Democrats in Wisconsin's House delegation.
The state's current congressional lines were drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The state Supreme Court approved his set of maps in 2022 because it made the least changes compared to ones submitted by Republicans and others.
In a statement, Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brain Schimming called the new lawsuit a "desperate attempt by far-left Democrats who have shown time and time again that they can't win without rigged maps."
The latest petition now goes before the Supreme Court's liberal majority, following the election of liberal Judge Susan Crawford April 1. She takes office on Aug. 1. Crawford's win allowed the liberal faction to maintain the majority it gained in 2023, with the election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz.
During the campaign, Republicans heavily criticized Crawford after she attended a virtual meeting with donors, billed as a "Chance to put two more House seats in play for 2026.' Crawford's campaign said she only appeared on the call to introduce herself and she has not publicly or privately commented on the state's congressional maps.
More: Supreme Court race puts spotlight on congressional maps as GOP files complaint against Crawford
"Told you," Van Orden responded in a short tweet on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, a newly elected Republican representing northeastern Wisconsin in Congress, suggested Wisconsinites would vote for Republicans' "common sense agenda" in 2026 regardless of whether the state has new maps.
"The 'party of democracy' can't win on their own policies so they need to change the playing field," Wied posted on X.
In a statement, National Democratic Redistricting Committee executive director Marina Jenkins said Wisconsin voters "want and deserve a fair map."
"Wisconsinites are rightly fed up with being forced to vote on an egregiously gerrymandered congressional map that has not accurately reflected the competitive nature of their purple state for over a decade," Jenkins said.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Law firm asks Supreme Court to reconsider Wisconsin congressional maps