Wisconsin Supreme Court signals openness to congressional map challenges

The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether to revive challenges to the state's congressional maps, which produce six Republican and two Democratic U.S. House seats despite roughly even statewide vote totals. Lower judicial panels had dismissed both suits earlier this year, ruling they lacked authority to override state Supreme Court precedent.

The maps trace to 2011 lines a former conservative court majority preserved in 2022 under a ‘least change’ standard; the current liberal majority abandoned that standard in 2023, prompting the new challenges. One suit alleges partisan gerrymandering favoring Republicans, while a second, from Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy, argues the map is anti-competitive and protects incumbents of both parties.

Justices sparred over whether courts can define a workable fairness standard without simply picking outcomes themselves, with Chief Justice Karofsky calling the legislature's defense ‘sticking our head in the sand’ and Justice Hagedorn warning against inventing new rights. Neither case will affect the 2026 midterms, but a ruling could reshape the map before 2028.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.