Wisconsin Democrats Renew Fight Over Voting Maps

Democrats challenging redistricting in Wisconsin filed an amended lawsuit Friday in an effort to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court that they have legal standing to bring their claims. In June, the Supreme Court punted on the closely watched gerrymandering case in Wisconsin and declined to rule on the merits. But the justices invited the Democratic voters to prove that Republican redistricting in the Badger State had diluted their voting power and violated their constitutional rights.

On Friday, the Campaign Legal Center filed the amended lawsuit that builds on the claims of the original 12 voters.  Now, 40 voters in 34 legislative districts have joined the suit in Madison federal court. They say that the complaint now makes clear that the Wisconsin State Assembly’s 2011 redistricting plan violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Calling the Republican plan “one of the worst partisan gerrymanders in modern American history,” the voters say that the map led to a red wave that allowed GOP politicians to land 60 of the state assembly’s 99 seats, even as Democrats won the statewide vote.

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