Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to send back a challenge to the state’s Republican-drawn maps to federal district court Democrats are continuing to call for nonpartisan redistricting legislation.
Meanwhile, Republicans celebrated the unanimous opinion to return the case to a lower court — a decision that leaves the maps intact ahead of the November elections.
The 41-page decision, which rules the Democratic plaintiffs in the case lack standing while failing to address the broader issue of partisan gerrymandering, comes after the court heard oral arguments in the case last October. Before that, a three-judge panel in 2016 had ruled the maps Republicans drew in 2011 amounted to an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.
Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz called on the Legislature and the “next Governor” to pursue redistricting overhaul legislation to “end seven years of Republican gerrymandering.”
“Republicans have worked to preserve power and avoid accountability at every turn over the course of the last seven years. This case has brought national attention to Wisconsin. Wisconsinites know that voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” the Oshkosh Dem said.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in a joint statement they’re “confident with the U.S. Supreme Court guidance, the lower court will find the Democrat activists’ case is without merit.”
“Democrats have been using the maps as an excuse for their failure to connect with Wisconsin voters,” they said. “We believe the redistricting process we undertook seven years ago fulfilled our constitutional duty, and followed all applicable laws and standards that are required in redistricting.”
Read more on the issue here:
https://www.wispolitics.com/2018/u-s-supreme-court-sends-wisconsin-redistricting-case-back-to-district-court/
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