Wisconsin Democrats Renew Redistricting Court Battle

Democrats worked Friday to keep their challenge to Wisconsin's Republican-drawn legislative boundaries alive, renewing a federal lawsuit contending the lines are unfair to voters and filing a second action alleging the maps are hurting fundraising and candidate recruitment. A dozen Democratic voters filed a federal lawsuit three years ago alleging Republican lawmakers unconstitutionally consolidated GOP power when they redrew the boundaries in 2011, diluting Democrats' voting power by spreading them out across new, Republican-heavy districts and packing them together in areas that traditionally lean left.

A three-judge panel agreed, but Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices ruled in June that the plaintiffs lacked a right to sue on a statewide basis. Rather than dismissing the lawsuit, however, the court gave the plaintiffs a chance to prove standing.

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