3 years ago

US Supreme Court won’t end Wisconsin redistricting lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court this week rejected a lawsuit from Wisconsin Republicans seeking to kill a redistricting case brought by Democrats, keeping hope alive for liberals that they can seek to block GOP-drawn maps through the federal courts. They wanted the Supreme Court to dismiss the Democrats’ case, which attempts to have federal courts draw the state’s political boundary lines. The decision means that liberals will still have a chance to fight for the maps they want in federal court after the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court issues its ruling, likely early next year. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has given both sides to submit potential maps by Dec. 15, with arguments planned in January.

Court Wisconsin Republican Republicans maps submit republicans lawsuit supreme wisconsin court political states redistricting wont end federal state

History of this topic

4 months, 4 weeks ago

A federal court approves new Michigan state Senate seats for Detroit-area districts

Associated Press

Lansing — Federal judges gave final approval to a new map of Michigan state Legislature boundaries, concluding a case in which the court previously found that several Detroit-area districts’ maps were illegally influenced by race. In December, the court ordered a redistricting commission responsible for redrawing the state’s legislative and congressional maps in 2021 to redraw 13 state districts. The …

5 months ago

Proposal to create a new political mapmaking system in Ohio qualifies for November ballot

Associated Press

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. COLUMBUS, Ohio — A proposal to change Ohio’s troubled political mapmaking system has qualified for November’s statewide ballot, the state’s elections chief announced Tuesday. Retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who presided over the high court during the legal battle, called the certification “a historic step towards restoring …

6 months ago

Wisconsin taxpayers to pay half the cost of redistricting consultants hired by Supreme Court

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin taxpayers will pay half of the $128,000 bill submitted by redistricting consultants hired by the state’s Supreme Court for the work they did reviewing proposed legislative maps, the liberal majority of the court ordered Monday. They called the court’s order a “brazen imposition of judicial will.” The court hired a pair of redistricting consultants to review …

6 months, 3 weeks ago

US Supreme Court sends Arkansas redistricting case back to judges after South Carolina ruling

Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Monday sent a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ 2021 U.S. House map back to a three-judge panel, ordering it to review the suit in light of the high court’s decision against similar claims of bias in a redistricting case from South Carolina. A three-judge panel last year dismissed the suit, which claimed the redrawn map violated the U.S. …

7 months, 1 week ago

Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. “We are very relieved that SCOTUS agreed with us that it’s too close to the election to insert uncertainty.. We will have a …

7 months, 1 week ago

Supreme Court upholds new Black-majority district in Louisiana that may elect Democrat to Congress

LA Times

Supreme Court justices were acting on emergency appeals from civil rights lawyers as well as Louisiana’s Republican leaders. The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside a decision by two Trump-appointed judges in Louisiana and restored a state election map that may allow Black voters to elect a Democrat to Congress this fall. In a separate case last year, the Supreme …

7 months, 3 weeks ago

Judges Reject Map That Would Have Given Louisiana New Majority-Black House District

Huff Post

LOADING ERROR LOADING NEW ORLEANS — A new congressional district map giving Louisiana a second majority-Black House district was rejected Tuesday by a panel of three federal judges, fueling new uncertainty about district boundaries as the state prepares for fall congressional elections. Polling takes place at the Martin Luther King Elementary School in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans …

7 months, 3 weeks ago

The Supreme Court is asked to pause a ruling against Louisiana's congressional map

NPR

The Supreme Court is asked to pause a ruling against Louisiana's congressional map Enlarge this image toggle caption Gerald Herbert/AP Gerald Herbert/AP The state of Louisiana and a group of Black Louisiana voters have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put a hold on a lower court order that is blocking Louisiana from using the state's new congressional map for …

8 months, 2 weeks ago

Control of Wisconsin Supreme Court will be up for grabs after liberal justice's surprise retirement

Salon

One year after a closely-watched election tipped the Wisconsin Supreme Court towards a 4-3 liberal majority, the impending retirement of a liberal justice, Ann Walsh Bradley, is teeing off another battle for control of the state's highest court. Conservatives long held the reins of legislative and judicial power in Wisconsin until the most expensive state Supreme Court campaign in U.S. …

8 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to clarify district boundaries for potential recall election

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to offer clarity on what legislative district boundary lines should be in play for a potential recall election sought by supporters of former President Donald Trump targeting the Republican Assembly speaker. But the Wisconsin Elections Commission had asked the Supreme Court to clarify what maps should be used for any …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

New York gets a new congressional map that gives Democrats a slight edge in fight for House

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. The lines are similar to both the existing congressional map and a proposal drawn by the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission, yet appeared far from the aggressive partisan gerrymander many expected after Democrats took control of the redistricting process earlier this week. Democrats also reversed proposed changes from the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission that would …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

New York Democrats propose new congressional lines that could help them in battleground races

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Democrats are proposing a new congressional map that could shift a few battleground districts in the party’s favor, potentially giving their candidates an advantage in House races that could determine control of Congress. The plan falls far short of the aggressive gerrymander many expected when Democrats seized control of the state’s unusual mid-decade redistricting process. …

9 months, 4 weeks ago

New York Democrats reject bipartisan congressional map, will draw their own

Hindustan Times

ALBANY, N.Y. — Democrats in the New York Legislature on Monday rejected a congressional map drawn by the state's bipartisan redistricting commission, setting the stage for the party to craft lines that help Democrats in battleground House races that could determine control of Congress. U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is leading Democrats' effort to recapture House seats in New York, …

10 months ago

U.S. House of Representatives 2024: New York state redistricting maps could win Democrats a majority in November.

Slate

Last week, Democrats in New York scored one big victory on their path toward retaking a House majority with the triumph of Rep. Tom Suozzi in the state’s 3rd District, flipping it from Republican control. If the IRC’s maps are voted down, New York’s Democrat-controlled Legislature will take over redistricting duty from the nonpartisan body, a political triumph national Democrats …

10 months ago

Republican DA asks Wisconsin Supreme Court to decide abortion lawsuit without lower court ruling

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — A Republican prosecutor asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday to decide whether a 174-year-old state law bans abortion in the state without waiting for a ruling from a lower appellate court. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion, reactivated an 1849 law that conservatives have interpreted …

10 months ago

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor signs his new legislative maps into law after Republicans pass them

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed new legislative district maps into law on Monday that he proposed and that the Republicans who control the Legislature passed to avoid having the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court draw the lines. Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler said the new maps will have a “reverse coattails” effect benefitting Democrats in the …

10 months, 1 week ago

GOP-led Wisconsin Legislature passes Democratic governor’s legislative maps

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled Legislature on Tuesday passed legislative maps that were proposed by Democratic Gov. Evers gets a huge win today,” Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said, adding that under the new maps, “the Legislature will be up for grabs.” The Assembly and Senate passed the bill in quick succession Tuesday, sending it to Evers. Republicans said that …

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Wisconsin Republicans urge state Supreme Court to reject redistricting report’s findings

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans urged the state Supreme Court on Thursday to ignore a report from redistricting consultants that determined GOP-proposed legislative maps were unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders. While Republicans argue that the consultants’ findings are unsound, Democrats asked the court on Thursday to adopt one of their maps that the consultants found were “nearly indistinguishable.” The stakes are huge …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin Democrats inch closer to overturning Republican-drawn legislative maps

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democrats are inching closer to overturning Republican-drawn legislative maps that the GOP has used over the past 13 years to grow their majorities and advance their agenda. Republican maps adopted in 2022 by the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court used the 2011 map as a template and kept largely the same lines in place. Democrats filed their …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

A lawsuit seeks to block Louisiana’s new congressional map that has 2nd mostly Black district

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Legislature’s redrawn congressional map giving the state a second mostly Black district is being challenged by 12 self-described “non-African American” voters in a new lawsuit. The challenge filed Wednesday and assigned to a judge in Lafayette says the map, which Republican lawmakers agreed to as a result of a 2022 federal lawsuit filed in Baton …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin redistricting experts tell Supreme Court Republican map proposals are gerrymanders

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Consultants hired by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to examine maps redrawing state legislative districts said Thursday that plans submitted by the Republican Legislature and a conservative law firm are partisan gerrymanders, but they stopped short of declaring the other four maps constitutional. “While this is just one step in this process, today is an important day for …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor vetoes Republican map as another redistricting court fight looms

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democratic Gov. The veto came a day after five of Wisconsin’s Republican members of Congress, along with the GOP-controlled Legislature, asked the newest liberal member of the state Supreme Court not to hear a lawsuit that seeks to redraw congressional district maps ahead of the November election. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos accused Evers of trusting …

11 months ago

US Supreme Court won’t overrule federal judges’ order to redraw Detroit legislative seats

Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request from Michigan’s redistricting commission to overrule an order to redraw 13 Detroit-area seats in the Legislature, a decision that will likely make the legislative maps more competitive. The redistricting commission had asked the high court to overrule a December ruling by a three-judge federal appeals court panel that …

11 months, 1 week ago

Democrats ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to order new congressional maps for fall election

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — A Washington law firm that tries to help Democrats win elections around the country has asked the liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court to throw out the battleground state’s congressional maps, arguing that the court’s decision last month ordering new state legislative maps opens the door to the latest challenge. He said the lawsuit aims to “make our congressional …

11 months, 1 week ago

Wisconsin Republican leader slams Democrats’ proposed election maps as ‘political gerrymander’

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s powerful Republican Assembly leader said Tuesday that he hopes the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court adopts new constitutional legislative boundary maps, even as he slammed proposals from Democrats as “a political gerrymander” and threatened an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The map submitted by Republicans would maintain the current 64-35 GOP majority, while other maps would …

11 months, 1 week ago

Wisconsin Republicans’ large majorities expected to shrink under new legislative maps

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Most of the newly ordered maps redrawing Wisconsin’s political boundaries for the state Legislature would keep Republicans in majority control, but their dominance would be reduced, according to an independent analysis of the plans. Seven sets of new state Senate and Assembly maps were submitted on Friday, the deadline given by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to propose …

11 months, 2 weeks ago

Wisconsin redistricting consultants to be paid up to $100,000 each

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Two consultants hired to analyze new legislative boundary lines in Wisconsin after the state’s Supreme Court tossed out the current Republican-drawn maps will be paid up to $100,000 each under terms of their contracts made public Thursday. Court challenges could result in new U.S. House and state legislative maps before the November election. Jonathan Cervas, of Carnegie …

11 months, 3 weeks ago

GOP lawmakers ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider redistricting ruling, schedule for new maps

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Republican lawmakers have asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to stay and reconsider its finding that the state’s legislative district boundaries are unconstitutional. Attorneys representing a host of Republican state Senators filed a motion with the court Thursday saying they can’t meet the court’s Jan. 12 deadline for new maps. The court ordered the Legislature and other parties …

1 year ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court orders new legislative maps in redistricting case brought by Democrats

LA Times

The Wisconsin Supreme Court listens to arguments from Wisconsin Assistant Atty. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn as Democrats had urged in a state with large Republican legislative majorities. “Because the current state legislative districts contain separate, detached territory and therefore violate the constitution’s contiguity requirements, we enjoin …

1 year ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court orders new legislative maps in redistricting case brought by Democrats

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps on Friday and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn as Democrats had urged in a redistricting case they hope will weaken GOP majorities. “Because the current state legislative districts contain separate, detached territory and therefore violate the constitution’s contiguity requirements, we enjoin the Wisconsin Elections Commission …

1 year ago

THINGS TO KNOW: Deadline looms for new map in embattled North Dakota redistricting lawsuit

Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. — The clock is running out on a Friday deadline for North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature to draw new legislative boundaries compliant with the Voting Rights Act for two Native American tribes who successfully sued for new lines. A federal judge last month ruled that the state’s 2021 redistricting map violates the landmark 1965 civil rights law in diluting …

1 year ago

Wisconsin leader pivots, says impeachment of state Supreme Court justice over redistricting unlikely

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican leader of Wisconsin’s Assembly who had threatened possible impeachment of a new liberal state Supreme Court justice over her views on redistricting now says such a move is “super unlikely.” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos originally threatened to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she did not recuse herself from the redistricting challenge, which is backed by …

1 year ago

Wisconsin prosecutor appeals ruling that cleared way for abortions to resume in state

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — A Republican district attorney has appealed a court ruling that determined that an 1849 Wisconsin law does not ban abortions, a decision that cleared the way for abortions to resume in the state. Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski on Tuesday appealed the ruling from a Dane County judge that said there is no state ban on …

1 year ago

How much gerrymandering is too much? In New York, the answer could make or break Dems’ House hopes

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s highest court last week gave Democrats a chance to redraw the state’s congressional districts, a major victory as the party tries to win control of the U.S. House next year. “There’s no hard and fast definition or bright line to define partisan gerrymandering,” said New York Law School professor Jeffrey Wice, who focuses on redistricting. …

1 year ago

New York’s high court orders new congressional maps as Democrats move to retake control of US House

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House. “In 2014, the voters of New York amended our Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an …

1 year ago

Tennessee Supreme Court blocks decision to redraw state’s Senate redistricting maps

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s highest court on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court’s decision that lawmakers must redraw the state’s Senate maps in a ruling that means the current legislative districts will likely remain in place for the 2024 elections. The same trial judges ruled to temporarily block the Senate map in 2022, but the Supreme Court reinstated the districts …

1 year ago

Ohio Supreme Court dismisses 3 long-running redistricting lawsuits against state legislative maps

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The more than two-year legal battle over the maps of Ohio Statehouse districts that were crafted in response to the 2020 Census may be over. In a 4-3 ruling late Monday, the Ohio Supreme Court cited unanimous, bipartisan passage in September of a new round of legislative maps in dismissing three long-running lawsuits brought by Democratic and …

1 year, 1 month ago

Judges rule against Tennessee Senate redistricting map over treatment of Nashville seats

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Republican-drawn map for Tennessee’s Senate seats violates the state Constitution because lawmakers incorrectly numbered the legislative districts in left-leaning Nashville, which affects which years those seats are on the ballot, a panel of judges ruled Wednesday. According to Wednesday’s ruling, the state’s attorneys “conceded” that they would not defend the Senate map in court and instead …

1 year, 1 month ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court Hearing Arguments On Redistricting That Could Result In New Maps For 2024

Huff Post

FILE - A man walks by the Wisconsin Capitol, Oct. 10, 2012, in Madison, Wis. Supporters of Wisconsin's taxpayer-funded school choice and independent charter school programs urged the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is located inside the state Capitol, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, to reject a lawsuit seeking to declare the programs unconstitutional, saying such a move would create chaos …

1 year, 1 month ago

Democrats urge Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn Republican-drawn legislative maps

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Democrats urged the Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn Republican-drawn legislative maps Tuesday, with conservative justices questioning the timing of the redistricting challenge, while liberals focused on the constitutionality of the current maps and what the process should be for adopting new ones. Conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley most aggressively questioned the motives of Democrats and repeatedly referenced newly …

1 year, 1 month ago

New York’s high court hears redistricting case, as Democrats angle to retake US House

Associated Press

New York’s highest court heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit that could reshape congressional districts in the state, which is expected to be a key battleground next year in the fight for control of the U.S. House. The Court of Appeals hearing in Buffalo came as Democrats want to scrap the state’s district lines after losing congressional seats that helped …

1 year, 2 months ago

The Supreme Court refuses to speed the drawing of a new congressional map in Louisiana

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency appeal from Black voters in Louisiana to speed the process of drawing new congressional districts in the state. The appeals court said U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick was moving too fast and must give the state more time to consider a new map. Civil rights groups had hoped a new …

1 year, 2 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court asked to draw new legislative boundaries over Republican objections

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Democratic voters in Wisconsin hoping to undo Republican-drawn legislative district maps told the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court on Monday that it should create new maps by March — forcing every lawmaker to stand for election under redrawn lines in 2024. New maps favoring Democrats would weaken Republicans’ grip on legislative power, which they have also used in …

1 year, 2 months ago

Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice rejects GOP call to recuse on redistricting cases

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote along partisan lines Friday, agreed to hear a challenge to Republican-drawn legislative maps after a newly elected liberal justice declined to recuse herself. Republicans had asked that Protasiewicz recuse from both redistricting cases, arguing in their motion that “Justice Protasiewicz’s campaign statements reveal that her thumb is very much …

1 year, 2 months ago

Another round of Ohio Statehouse maps has been challenged in court, despite bipartisan support

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Advocacy groups fighting Ohio’s political maps in court formally objected Thursday to the latest round of Statehouse districts, which they see as once again unfairly drawn to favor Republicans. The parties have “no choice” but to continue their challenge against the new maps, said Yurij Rudensky, senior counsel in the Democracy Program operation by New York University …

1 year, 3 months ago

Wisconsin redistricting fight focuses on the recusal of a key justice as impeachment threat lingers

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Republicans fighting to preserve Wisconsin legislative electoral maps they drew argue in new legal filings that a key liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice must recuse from the case despite the dismissal of complaints against her related to comments she made about redistricting. Democratic allies asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to throw out the Republican maps counter in …

1 year, 3 months ago

A Supreme Court redistricting ruling gave hope to Black voters. They’re still waiting for new maps

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s decision siding with Black voters in an Alabama redistricting case gave Democrats and voting rights activists a surprising opportunity before the 2024 elections. Shawn Donahue of the State University of New York at Buffalo, an expert on voting rights and redistricting, said the Supreme Court could put a quick end to the delays and “summarily …

1 year, 3 months ago

Wisconsin Assembly Republicans pass sweeping redistricting reform, but likely veto awaits

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Assembly passed a sweeping redistricting reform plan Thursday that takes the power of drawing maps out of the hands of lawmakers and gives it to nonpartisan staff. Democrats, suspicious of Republican motives, urged opposition to the proposal, saying it’s all a ruse designed to circumvent the newly liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court from throwing out the …

1 year, 3 months ago

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor rejects GOP’s surprise redistricting plan

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers shot down as “bogus” a surprise plan Republicans floated Tuesday that would have the Legislature approve new maps drawn by nonpartisan staff, preempting the state Supreme Court from tossing the current GOP-drawn boundaries. “Republicans are making a last-ditch effort to retain legislative control by having someone Legislature-picked and Legislature-approved draw Wisconsin’s maps,” …

1 year, 3 months ago

Wisconsin GOP's impeachment plan: Another MAGA coup against democracy

Salon

MAGA Republicans in Wisconsin are gearing up to impeach newly elected state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz, just five weeks after she took her seat on the court and before she has cast her first vote. Protasiewicz's resounding victory last April tells us that a large statewide majority in Wisconsin — typically a "purple" state where votes are evenly divided …

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4 days, 22 hours ago

A Landmark Victory in the Legal Fight Against Climate Change

Slate

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. They scored a major victory on Wednesday when the Montana Supreme Court issued a landmark decision holding that the state constitution protects residents against climate change. Mark Joseph Stern: It all started with a provision of the state constitution …

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1 week ago

Trailing North Carolina Supreme Court candidate asks that court to get involved in his race

Politico

But Griffin went to the Supreme Court instead and asked the justices to rule by this coming Monday on his request to prevent a certificate from being issued to Riggs and to suspend the 10-day deadline to file an appeal in Wake County court. Five Republicans are on the seven-member Supreme Court, which has been a partisan flash point in …

Supreme Court Court Democratic North Carolina Republican Republicans Griffin

1 week, 5 days ago