In a landmark ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared on Friday that the state’s legislative maps, which have been advantageous to Republicans, are unconstitutional. The court ordered the drawing of new lines for the 2024 election.
The decision, which was split 4-3, overturns the current maps in a crucial battleground state and could have significant repercussions for the 2024 election. This comes after liberals secured control of the court earlier this year. The Wisconsin case is part of a series of redistricting battles nationwide that could influence control of everything from local governing boards to state legislatures and the US House of Representatives.
Under the existing Wisconsin maps, Republicans hold a supermajority in the state Senate and a strong majority in the state Assembly, despite the state’s political landscape being relatively balanced. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in its Friday ruling, stated that the state constitution mandates districts to be composed of “contiguous territory.”
The court also stated that all parties will have the opportunity to submit remedial legislative district maps for the court’s consideration, along with expert evidence and an explanation of how their maps align with the principles outlined in the court’s opinion. The court will appoint a consultant or consultants to assist in evaluating the remedial maps, and parties will have the opportunity to respond to each other and the consultant’s report.
The state high court also indicated its readiness to intervene if legislators fail to take action. Attorney Sam Hirsch, who represented the petitioners, expressed his team’s eagerness to work through the remedial process to ensure fair representation in the State Legislature for Wisconsinites for the first time in over a decade.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, welcomed the ruling, expressing optimism that the gerrymandered maps that Wisconsinites have lived with for years might soon be a thing of the past.
In a dissenting opinion, conservative Justice Annette Ziegler wrote, “This deal was sealed on election night. Four justices remap Wisconsin even though this constitutional responsibility is to occur every ten years, after a census, by the other two branches of government.”
The legislative boundaries were a key issue in this spring’s race for the pivotal state Supreme Court seat. After being seated in August, Democratic-backed groups filed two lawsuits asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to discard the Republican-drawn maps. State legislative Republicans responded by asking the newly seated Justice to recuse herself from the cases, arguing she had prejudged them.
State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos reacted to Friday’s ruling by stating that the case “was pre-decided before it was even brought.” He expressed disappointment over the ruling, but remained hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court will have the final say.
This story has been updated with additional details. CNN’s Eric Bradner and Brad Parks contributed to this report.