Law Forward
Press Release

Law Forward on Supreme Court Rejection of Redistricting Rulemaking Petition

Poland: Today, the State Supreme Court unanimously rejected a deeply flawed proposal that would have stood judicial procedures around redistricting – and only around redistricting – on their head.

By - May 14th, 2021 04:01 pm

MADISON, WI.  MAY 14, 2021 – Responding to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court’s unanimous rejection of a proposed rule that would have created a unique procedure for adjudicating redistricting disputes, Law Forward Litigation Director Doug Poland issued the following statement:

Today, in Wisconsin, the rule of law held.

Today, the State Supreme Court unanimously rejected a deeply flawed proposal that would have stood judicial procedures around redistricting – and only around redistricting – on their head.  It turned away an effort led by former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) to treat the Wisconsin Supreme Court as a court of first resort in the singular context of redistricting litigation, rather than its intended function as a court of review and of last resort.

Law Forward is proud of the role it played in opposing this ill-conceived rule petition, working with a broad array of advocates and citizens in Wisconsin to analyze the legal issues and their likely impact. This effort led to the submission of approximately 2,000 written public comments and hours of testimony in opposition to this rule. The voluminous public testimony was explicitly cited by the Court today.

Law Forward is a young organization, only 6 months old.  Opposing this rulemaking petition was one of our first efforts, and we are proud to have worked with so many partners in addition to filing a brief of our own, and undertaking a public education campaign. We are excited to continue to lead in the legal sphere, and to help Wisconsinites make their voices heard in the courts on redistricting and other issues core to our democracy.

Today, in Wisconsin, the rule of law held.  We can never afford to take that fact for granted, especially with major actions around redistricting looming.  Law Forward stands ready to advocate for fair maps whenever and wherever the legality of new districts in Wisconsin are brought before a court.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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