Progressives sue for new Wisconsin electoral maps

Progressives in Wisconsin moved quickly to ask the state’s new Supreme Court for new electoral maps.

A coalition of groups and voters led by the firm Law Forward filed a petition Wednesday with the state Supreme Court that challenges Wisconsin’s current political maps.

“In the past 12 years, one political party captured the Legislature and has insulated itself from being answerable to the voters,” Law Forward President Jeff Mandell said in a statement. “Despite the fact that our legislative branch is meant to be the most directly representative of the people, the gerrymandered maps have divided our communities, preventing fair representation. This has eroded confidence in our political system, suppressed competitive elections, skewed policy outcomes, and undermined democratic representation.”

Mandell added that Wisconsin has been ruled “by right-wing interests” for the past decade-plus.

Specifically, Law Forward and the other groups want new maps drawn for the 2024 election with at least a few more Democratic-majority districts.

The suit claims Wisconsin’s current maps “retaliate” against voters, treat voters differently based on their political views and “violate the promise of a free government found in the Wisconsin constitution.”

The lawsuit was filed less than 24 hours after Justice Janet Protasiewicz took her oath and flipped Wisconsin’s Supreme Court from what observers call a conservative majority to a liberal majority.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said that timing should raise some suspicions.

“Wisconsin’s current legislative maps are valid and constitutional. Instead of redefining their radical political platform to match the values of everyday Wisconsinites, liberal Democrats are counting on judicial fiat to help them gain power,” LeMahieu said in a statement. “The timing of this lawsuit questions the integrity of the court. It’s clear that liberal interest groups are coming to collect from Justice Protasiewicz after her campaign broke judicial code to earn their financial support earlier this year.”

Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday announced his support for the lawsuit.

“For years, members of the Wisconsin State Legislature have consistently ignored the will of the people, and they’ve been able to do so comfortably and without facing any real accountability because they have gerrymandered themselves into safe, partisan districts. It’s time for that to change,” Evers said. “Today’s filing is great news for our democracy and for the people of our state whose demands for fair maps and a nonpartisan redistricting process have gone repeatedly ignored by their legislators for years.”

The case asks the Supreme Court to take the case directly and quickly. But there’s no word when the court could make a decision.