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Redistricting Decision
Redistricting Decision
State Rep. Fred Kessler
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling leaves Wisconsin's controversial voting district maps intact -- at least for now. The high court's ruling puts the decision on whether our state's voter districts should be changed in the hands of the lower courts.
"It was not the outcome I was hoping for. I was still hoping we could have a new map for this election," said State Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee).
At issue -- voter district maps and the way they are drawn. Some Democrats say they are rigged to favor electing Republicans. Republicans say maps -- approved by the Republican-controlled legislature -- follow the laws and Constitution.
Kessler said he will introduce a voter map in the legislature and the court -- one that would provide more competitive elections. He called Monday's ruling a victory for Democrats because the case can move forward in the courts.
"It's still a victory. They've acknowledged the fact that partisan redistricting can be justiceable," Kessler said.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Mordecai Lee
"When you have competitive districts, most candidates want to appeal to the middle. They want to be moderate. This was a test case," said University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Mordecai Lee.
Lee said the justices did not make a ruling based on whether the redistricting was constitutional. Instead, they pushed the decision to a lower court -- forcing the Democrats to make a new case to challenge the maps based on which specific voters were harmed and how.
"The party you prefer might not be able to win as many seats as they otherwise would; statewide doesn't constitute that type of individual particularized harm," said Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.
Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
CLICK HERE to read the opinions issued by justices in this case
CLICK HERE to listen to the oral arguments made in this case
Democratic Party of Wisconsin's chair Martha Laning
St. Senator Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse)
Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh)
St. Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton)
Sachin Chheda, director of the Fair Elections Project
Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project
Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin
St. Senator Mark Miller (D-Monona)
St. Senator Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee)
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse)
St. Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee)
St. Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee)