The Wisconsin legislature may be forced to redraw its legislative districts after a panel of federal judges dubbed the 2011 State Assembly maps unconstitutional in a 2-1 ruling Monday.
A group of 12 voters filed the lawsuit in July 2015, arguing the lines were drawn to favor Republican candidates — citing the party won 60 of 99 Assembly seats despite Democrats winning the statewide vote in 2012, The Associated Press reports.
The state’s attorneys made the case that the lines simply reflect that it is starting to trend Republican during the four-day trial.
Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kenneth Ripple and U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb disagreed, arguing the way the map was gerrymandered in Republicans favor.
“We find that Act 43 was intended to burden the representational rights of Democratic voters throughout the decennial period by impeding their ability to translate their votes into legislative seats. Moreover, as demonstrated by the results of the 2012 and 2014 elections, among other evidence, we conclude that Act 43 has had its intended effect,” Ripple wrote. “Finally, we find that the discriminatory effect is not explained by the political geography of Wisconsin nor is it justified by a legitimate state interest.”
U.S. District Judge William Griesbach said while he agreed with his colleagues on a certain level, he doesn’t the political motivation behind how the lines were drawn are unconstitutional.
“The intent to weaken a racial group’s political power in drawing district lines is always and everywhere wrongful. The same is not true for political motivations,” he wrote in his dissent. “The Supreme Court has long acknowledged partisan considerations are inevitable when partisan politicians draw of 159 122 maps.”
Republicans could appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
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