In a Blow to House Democrats, Liberals on Wisconsin Supreme Court Decline To Redraw State’s Congressional Map

In a blow to House Democrats and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the liberal majority on the Wisconsin supreme court will not hear a challenge to the state’s congressional map. National Democrats had hoped that their allies on the court would make it much easier for them to pick up two seats in the state. When Justice Susan Crawford won her seat on Wisconsin’s highest court earlier this year — thus maintaining the liberal majority — many believed the court would hear a challenge to the state’s district lines. On Wednesday, those hopes were dashed. The court did not explain its decision to dismiss two challenges to Wisconsin’s congressional maps. One lawsuit was filed by a Democratic lawyer, Marc Elias, who has been leading the charge for his party on a number of state legislative map and voting rights cases. “Wisconsin’s congressional map is antithetical to virtually every principle necessary to sustain a representative democracy,” the lawsuit from the Elias Law Group, which was filed in May, states. “It impermissibly disadvantages voters based on their political views and partisan affiliation, systematically disfavoring Democrats because they are Democrats.”Mr. Elias’s firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the court’s decision. A second lawsuit seeking to redraw the maps was filed by the Campaign Legal Center. It argued that the maps were unconstitutional because the state’s population was not evenly distributed among the eight districts, six of which are held by Republicans. The state supreme court ruled Wednesday that the lawsuit — like Mr. Elias’s — would be dismissed. The Wisconsin supreme court currently has four liberal members and three conservative members. Candidates for the bench run in statewide elections, and while they technically run as independents, the state Democratic and Republican parties always line up behind chosen ideological allies. The newest member — Justice Crawford — was criticized by her Republican-backed opponent earlier this year for attending a fundraiser with the state’s Democratic Party. In an email invitation welcoming voters to meet then-Judge Crawford, party leaders specifically said she could be key to flipping two U.S. House seats to the Democrats if she were elected. Justice Crawford disavowed that message at the time, though she refused to say that she would not revisit the congressional maps alongside her supreme court colleagues should she be elected. The two U.S. House members most in danger would have been Congressman Derrick Van Orden, who represents the western edge of the state, and Congressman Bryan Steil, who represents the southeastern part of Wisconsin. Mr. Van Orden won his election last year by less than three points last year, while Mr. Steil won re-election by just more than 11 points.

In a Blow to House Democrats, Liberals on Wisconsin Supreme Court Decline To Redraw State’s Congressional Map

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