Wisconsin high court rejects bid to revisit congressional maps

The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a bid Friday by Democrats to reconsider the state’s congressional maps, delivering Republicans a win in the state. 

The state’s high court said it would not be revisiting the state’s congressional maps after Democrats earlier this year had asked the court to reconsider the lines.  

In a separate elections map case, the Wisconsin Supreme Court had ordered new state legislative maps, writing they would be rejecting a “least change” approach, which means offering as few changes to the current map.  

Democrats sought to use that part of the opinion as justification to have the state’s high court reconsider the state’s House map.  

“With the ‘least change’ approach that justified the map’s adoption overruled, the map now lacks any basis in Wisconsin redistricting law or precedent,” lawyers wrote to the state Supreme Court, asking to have the congressional lines revisited.  

However, that ask was denied by the high court, which has a liberal 4-3 majority. 

Notably, liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz, whose position on the state’s election maps has generated controversy, did not participate in the decision.

“I decline to participate in this proceeding because I was not a member of the court when it issued its March 3, 2022 decision and order," she wrote.

Protasiewicz garnered criticism from Republicans while running for a vacant seat on the state Supreme Court last year when she called the state’s maps “rigged.” 

Republicans mulled impeaching Protasiewicz if she did not recuse herself from the case over the state legislative maps but later decided against it.  

“While the court rightfully denies this motion, it likely won't be long until the new majority flexes its political power again to advance a partisan agenda despite the damage inflicted on the independence and integrity of the court,” conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley said in her dissenting opinion.