Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein / Getty Images
A national group led by former Attorney General Eric Holder filed a lawsuit on Monday against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for refusing to hold elections to fill two vacant seats in the state legislature.
Why it matters: The seats have been vacant since last December when Walker, a Republican, tapped representatives from both to join his administration. Walker rejected calls to hold special elections before November's midterms, saying they'd be a waste of money given the legislature will adjourn in May. But Democrats and Holders' group argue that residents would be denied representation for more than a year since the Republican-controlled General Assembly won't convene until Jan. 2019
The backdrop: The suit was filed in a Wisconsin court on behalf of voters in the two vacant districts. This comes after Democrats flipped a Wisconsin district in a special election last month.
- The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which Holder is leading, was launched last year ahead of the 2020 redistricting process. Wisconsin is one of the states the group is targeting.