Wisconsin Supreme Court orders legal briefs in 2 congressional map challenges

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has asked parties to file briefs on whether two redistricting lawsuits filed in Dane County Circuit Court should be allowed to proceed.

The court issued its order in response to two requests asking justices to appoint a judicial panel to consider the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s congressional voting map ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The lawsuits were filed in circuit court in July by two liberal law firms. They asked the Supreme Court to appoint three-judge panels to decide whether Wisconsin’s congressional districts are unconstitutional. Until Thursday, the court hadn’t responded.

The three-judge panel concept was created by Republican state lawmakers in 2011 as a means to expedite redistricting challenges. Under that law, if parties in a circuit court case request the panel, the Supreme Court is required to appoint circuit court judges to sit on it. It also requires any appeal of the panel’s ruling to go directly to the Supreme Court.



https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-supreme-court-orders-legal-briefs-in-2-congressional-map-challenges