Wisconsin Supreme Court just dropped the hammer

| 4:30 pm EST December 22, 2023
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Wisconsin has ridiculously gerrymandered districts aimed at handing Republicans a disproportionate amount of power. When Janet Protasiewicz was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, it was a big deal because it meant those maps would likely be redrawn to make them fair. Right wing groups made a lot of noise about removing Protasiewicz from power, but they never had the muscle to do so.

Now the inevitable result has happened. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down the state’s maps, ruling that they are in violation of the state constitution, and ordering that new maps be redrawn ahead of 2024. The ruling was 4-3, with Protasiewicz casting the deciding vote. No wonder right wingers wanted her gone so badly. But they failed, and now democracy has prevailed.

These kinds of legal battles are never quite fully over, but it does now very much appear that Wisconsin will have fair maps for 2024. This could be a big deal in terms of the U.S. House majority, and it could shift the balance of power in the Wisconsin legislature. Stay tuned.