Wisconsin Supreme Court Adopts Criteria for Redistricting in WILL Lawsuit
Court will adopt maps without considering partisanship, will seek “least changes”
The News: The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an opinion in Johnson v. WEC, a Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) redistricting case, that adopts criteria for the redistricting process. The decision from the Wisconsin Supreme Court adopts WILL’s proposal that the Court not consider political partisanship when approving new legislative districts, and will seek to make the “least changes” from the current maps.
The Quote: WILL Deputy Counsel, Anthony LoCoco, said, “Today’s decision recognizes the proper role of the judiciary in the redistricting process. As the United States Supreme Court has recognized, there is no legal standard by which a court could determine what projected political outcome is “fair.” We are pleased that the Court agreed with our arguments that political partisanship is not an appropriate factor to consider when redrawing district maps and that it should follow a least-changes approach in accomplishing its task.”
In November, the legislature voted to approve maps and sent them to Governor Evers. But Evers, unsurprisingly, quickly vetoed the maps. This moved the process to the Wisconsin Supreme Court where the court had to establish criteria for adopting new maps.
WILL made arguments that the Court should not consider political partisanship and should make the “least changes” when adopting new maps. In the split decision issued Tuesday, a majority on the Court agreed with WILL.
What Happens Next? The parties will provide proposed maps for the Court to consider. The Court has stated it may schedule a hearing for January 2022.
Read More:
- Supreme Court Decision, November 30, 2021
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Order Granting Original Action, September 22, 2021
- Petition for Original Action, August 23, 2021
Read and share this press release online.
More about the Gerrymandering of Legislative Districts
- State High Court Disallows GOP Congressmen’s Amended Political Map - Henry Redman - Jan 11th, 2022
- New Group Joins Redistricting Battle - Henry Redman - Jan 5th, 2022
- Op Ed: Evers’ Smart Move on Political Maps - Dave Cieslewicz - Dec 19th, 2021
- Evers’ New Legislative Maps Retain GOP Advantage - Shawn Johnson - Dec 17th, 2021
- Gov. Evers Submits New Redistricting Maps Using “Least Change” Approach Pursuant to Court Order - Gov. Tony Evers - Dec 15th, 2021
- Op Ed: Evers Didn’t Do Enough on Fair Maps - Dave Cieslewicz - Dec 6th, 2021
- State Supreme Court Rules For ‘Least Changes’ to Redistricting - Shawn Johnson - Nov 30th, 2021
- AG Kaul Issues Statement on Wisconsin Supreme Court Redistricting Decision - Wisconsin Department of Justice - Nov 30th, 2021
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Adopts Criteria for Redistricting in WILL Lawsuit - Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty - Nov 30th, 2021
- Statement on SCOWIS Decision - Fair Elections Project - Nov 30th, 2021
Read more about Gerrymandering of Legislative Districts here
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
WILL Urges Governor Evers to Abandon Race Discrimination in New Housing Assistance Program
Jan 12th, 2022 by Wisconsin Institute for Law & LibertyState program to allocate housing grants based on race
Wisconsin Supreme Court to Hear WILL Challenge to Dane County Health Orders
Dec 20th, 2021 by Wisconsin Institute for Law & LibertyWILL is challenging authority of health officer to issue orders without legislative approval
Governor Evers Vetoes Legislation to Provide Parents with Access to Classroom Materials
Dec 3rd, 2021 by Wisconsin Institute for Law & LibertyWILL-supported legislation would have required districts to post classroom material online
