State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Federal Court Orders Wisconsin Legislature To Redraw District Lines

WPR: A federal court has ordered Wisconsin lawmakers to redraw the state’s legislative district lines by Nov. 1, saying the current lines are unconstitutional and should be replaced in time for the November 2018 election.

"Under the prevailing view in this court, the people of Wisconsin already have endured several elections under an unconstitutional reapportionment scheme," wrote Judges Kenneth Ripple, Barbara Crabb and William Griesbach in an eight-page court order. "If they are to be spared another such event, a new map must be drawn in time for the preparatory steps leading up to the election."

While the move represented another victory for Democratic plaintiffs who brought this redistricting lawsuit, it fell short of the outcome they’d hoped for. Democrats wanted the court to redraw Wisconsin’s legislative district lines instead of leaving the decisions to Republican lawmakers, who drew the current district lines in 2011.

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