Mar 23, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Supreme Court grants GOP request to block new maps for Wisconsin's state legislature

Erin Doherty

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a member of Wisconsin's Electoral College, casts his vote for the presidential election at the state Capitol on December 14, 2020 in Madison, Wisconsin. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers casts his vote for the presidential election at the state Capitol on December 14, 2020 in Madison, Wisconsin. Photo: Morry Gash-Pool/Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with Wisconsin's Republican-led legislature and struck down the state's redistricting plans drawn up by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Driving the news: In the unsigned order, the justices reversed an opinion by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which it noted is "free to take additional evidence if it prefers to reconsider the Governor’s maps rather than choose from among the other submissions."

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan issued a public dissent, calling the court's action “unprecedented.”
"The court today faults the State Supreme Court for its failure to comply with an obligation that, under existing precedent, is hazy at best,” Sotomayor wrote.

The high court on Wednesday also rejected, in an unsigned opinion, a Republican-led bid to block the map that set boundaries for the state’s U.S. House districts.

Both the legislative and congressional maps originally passed by the Wisconsin legislature created a significant Republican advantage, according to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.
Democrats would have made some marginal gains under Evers’ plan for the legislative map but Republicans would maintain their majorities in the Assembly and Senate.

Go deeper: Democrats snag redistricting wins

Add Axios on Google

Supreme Court grants GOP request to block new maps for Wisconsin's state legislature

What to read next