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Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024

Did the Wisconsin Supreme Court order the state to adopt legislative maps drawn by Gov. Tony Evers?

Tom Kertscher, Wisconsin Watch
no

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Dec. 22, 2023, ordered the Legislature to draw new maps for the state Assembly and Senate districts.

The court’s liberal majority ruled 4-3 that the current maps violate the state constitution because too many boundaries are not “composed of physically adjoining territory.”

At least 50 of 99 Assembly districts and at least 20 of 33 Senate districts include separate, detached territory, the court found.

Republicans drew the legislative maps in 2011 and a conservative court majority affirmed similar maps in 2022.

The new court ordered the Legislature, still controlled by Republicans, redraw the maps before the 2024 legislative elections.

The court also asked interested parties to submit contingency maps in case the Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, cannot agree on new maps.

Republicans could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Wisconsin high court’s ruling.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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