MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — A judicial panel cannot act on Wisconsin’s congressional district map.
WisPolitics reports that a three-judge panel ruled on Tuesday that it lacks authority to overturn a map approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2022, when conservative justices held a 4-3 majority. The judges dismissed a Democratic lawsuit challenging the lines for Wisconsin’s eight House districts as a partisan gerrymander.
The state Supreme Court appointed two three-judge panels to handle separate challenges to the map, which has helped produce a 6-2 Republican majority in Wisconsin’s House delegation. The three judges noted the Supreme Court did not provide guidance on their authority in handling the suit and granted a motion to dismiss filed by Republican House members and others.
A second three-judge panel is still considering a lawsuit that claims the map is an anti-competitive gerrymander. That’s scheduled to go to trial in 2027.