A Wisconsin court just stepped away from a high-stakes redistricting fight — and in doing so, handed Republicans a quiet but meaningful win.
A three-judge panel in Wisconsin on Tuesday dismissed a challenge to the state’s congressional map, ruling that it lacks the authority to decide the case.
The panel — composed of Dane County Circuit Court Judge Julie Genovese, Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Emily Lonergan, and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Mark Sanders — said in an 18-page decision that the Wisconsin Supreme Court failed to provide sufficient guidance when assigning the case.
As a result, the judges concluded they have “no authority to supersede decisions” of the state’s highest court.
The underlying lawsuit, filed by 11 voters last summer, argued the map is an illegal partisan gerrymander that violates separation of powers.
Wisconsin currently has six Republican and two Democratic members in the U.S. House, elected under maps drawn after the 2010 census. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed new maps passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature following the 2020 census.
The panel emphasized that it was “not endorsing” the current map but said it could not reinterpret prior Wisconsin Supreme Court rulings to reach a different outcome.
The decision marks the latest development in a broader, months-long redistricting fight between Republican- and Democratic-led states. That battle intensified after the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature — at the urging of President Trump — redrew its congressional maps last year.
Zach Bannon, central regional press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, called the ruling a “significant win for Republicans” and “another blow to desperate Democrats” seeking to reshape the electoral map.
“By keeping Wisconsin’s current district lines in place for 2026, Republicans are in a strong position to build on our momentum to retain and grow our House majority,” Bannon said.
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