Wisconsin Supreme Court rules legislative maps unconstitutional, orders new boundaries for 2024 vote

SNIP
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Republican-controlled state Legislature to draw new legislative boundaries ahead of the 2024 election, arguing their GOP advantage is unconstitutional — delivering a long-sought win for Democrats who have stayed deep in the Legislature's minority for more than a decade.

The court in a 4-3 decision said the court is also prepared to replace the state's heavily gerrymandered maps if the Legislature and Democratic governor cannot agree on a new plan.
ENDSNIP

https://www.yahoo.com/news/wisconsin-supreme-court-rules-legislative-001345964.html

Wisconsin is in EVERY most gerrymandered states list... Zero chance that with the close recent voting for Gov (Dem), Pres (Dem), and SC (Dem), that the state house would be 64-35 and 22-11 without massive efforts in that regard.

I personally believe NOBODY who received a single vote in the state should have a hand in creating district maps (including these judges), but they'll certainly do a better job than the state legislature has.. No question there.

I'm guessing there is zero chance the MAGA's and Evers will agree on a map, so it's probably on the judges in late winter.

What would be the next worst gerrymandered state? Ohio? Maryland? Probably North Carolina...

 

Why can republican politicians not win unless they cheat? We must end partisan gerrymandering if we want any kind of democracy in this nation.

 

Why do lefties act like there's not gerrymandering in every state when their congress switches sides? Then they all go to court, then the one's that are deemed unfair get tossed. To act like the left has never done this is comical or severely uninformed.

 

Because there are different levels of gerrymandering. There is always going to be some level of bias but when it becomes such that it starts actively picking a winner there is an issue.

Wisconsin is so gerrymandered, that in 2018 Republicans won about 200k fewer votes and lost every statewide race year they got close to a two-thirds majority in the state assembly.

The system is broken

 

Sure every once in a while, a democrat state has the same problem. But it seems like every year a republican state does.

 

I don't even know what "when their congress switches sides" means, since Congress doesn't set districts. Assuming you meant legislatures??

Show me a website that lists a bunch of D states are among the MOST gerrymandered??

Here's one that backs up R states are the greatest abusers.... 10 out of 11 on this list

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/most-gerrymandered-states

 

Do people with the same skin color have a right to a voting district where they are the majority voters? Do you have a right to have a mayor or governor of member of Congress whose skin color is the same as yours?

My district just got racially gerrymandered by the Democrats cutting out the SECOND LARGEST city in the state and snaking it to the capital city 175 miles away. Then combined the rest in which I remain to the far corner 175 miles away. A total disconnect to with our commonalities and history and cultures and ISSUES.

So stop claiming it is just Reps, the Dems just hide behind theirs with their racist policies.

 

Why do Republicans act constitutionally as the courts have ruled with political gerrymandering while Dems do it in a racist manner?


Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering Is Beyond The Reach Of Federal Courts

In a 5-4 decision along traditional conservative-liberal ideological lines, the Supreme Court ruled that partisan redistricting is a political question — not reviewable by federal courts — and that those courts can't judge if extreme gerrymandering violates the Constitution.

The ruling puts the onus on the legislative branch, and on individual states, to police redistricting efforts.

"We conclude that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts," Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the conservative majority. "Federal judges have no license to reallocate political power between the two major political parties, with no plausible grant of authority in the Constitution, and no legal standards to limit and direct their decisions."
https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/7318...andering-is-beyond-the-reach-of-federal-court

 

By order of your packed SCOTUS, so stop ya bitchin...

And not one person on here has claimed the D's don't some of the same stuff.... just not as bad or not as often...

 

Yep, the GOP could actually try to appeal to more moderate voters, in order to win House seats. Instead, they go more extreme and gerrymander to stay in power.

Gerrymandering is the antithesis to democracy. It means politicians pick their voters rather than the way it should be, the other way around. Conservative extremists supporting this kind of approach is not surprising. They could care less about democracy, as long as they get their way. We've seen this crystal clear on 1/6/21.

 

Gerrymandering is prevalent in 50 states. There is bias from the left and bias from the right. Let us not claim that one side does it to cheat while the other side does it for the people.

Both sides do it for power and for control. It would be total ignorance to believe otherwise.

What would be interesting is developing software that draws the maps based on agreed upon input. This could be the a great use of AI.

But all sides have to agree on those inputs.

Let's say you have counties/localities 1, 2, 3, and 4. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 have been a district for dozens of years. 1 is very right leaning, 2 is very left leaning, and 3 is just right of center. People redraw the map to combine 2, 3, and 4 for the new district leaving out 1. 4 is extremely left leaning and the largest population of the 3 combined. Now county 3 has no chance for their views to be presented.

And this could be the other way. Left/right. It doesn't matter. Someone explain to me how maps can be drawn to represent the people and not politics.

 

That’s stupid. Just as stupid as what Republicans do, and apparently do more often.

It would be great if there were a national standard of principles for drawing districts. Based on population, county lines, geographic features, maybe some other things. But with the smallest reasonable perimeter for the area. Possibly even with a maximum ratio.

Gerrymandering results in political extremism.

Actually the best thing to do would be to bring in some neutral bureaucrats from a different country, who don’t care about American politics at all. Let them draw the districts.

 

The champion of voting rights.
Cases, Decisions, articles .

'Marc Elias, Author at Democracy Docket'

Democracy Docket
https://www.democracydocket.com › author › marc_...


'As the founder of Democracy Docket and Partner at Elias Law Group, Marc Elias is a nationally recognized authority in voting rights, redistricting and law.''

• FROM MARC
• LITIGATION
• REDISTRICTING

'Democracy Was on the Docket in 2023, and It Won'

'As it was in previous years, one of the main story lines in 2023 is the staggering record of losses Republican lawyers had in court'.

By Marc Elias

December 14, 2023

 

There are states with what are considered non-partisan maps.... It can be done

https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/redistricting-report-card/

My state, Virginia, gets an A grade for non partisan.... Look at that Congressional map.... it's generally a bunch of contiguous blocks...

Wiscosin gets an F across the board

 

Dems do it too, which is bad, but the GOP does it much more and worse:

https://www.motherjones.com/politic...ndering-house-representatives-election-chart/



Looking at the Wisconsin case: The Dems clearly have a majority of the popular vote, but the GOP has a significant majority in House seats. Now, why could that be? Blatant gerrymandering, which now, luckily, is coming to an end.

This is disenfranchisement of voters in its worst form. Clinging to power against the will of the voters. Of course, for the GOP, that's the only way how they can hang on, because demographics are just not in their favor. So, minority rule is all the have.

 

Personally, I think we need a federal law that uses impartial bodies to determine voting maps. Gerrymandering is a true threat to democracy, and if you think it isnt, then you are part of the problem

Why should we allow politicians to choose their voters, and not the voters choose the politician?

 

Well, I don't know if I'd go with "clearly" there... Seems to be mostly D these days, but it's usually pretty close, and for some unknown reason (Cough....Black opponent.... Cough), they put Ron Johnson back in the Senate, in order to retain his standing as the 2nd dumbest person in the Senate...

As somebody posted earlier, it won't be an acceptable map until Marc Elias gives it the thumbs up...

 

Well it is what all this redistricting is about! Even Wisconsin is about race.

 

BY THE DEM's just as they are trying to do in Wisconsin.

 

3 Dems, Roberts, and the Beer Guy

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/08/1181002182/supreme-court-voting-rights

 

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

 

Can you show some instances of proven cheating scandals from Democrats?

Republicans have has their maps struck down in 5 states so far, they ignored the decision in two. You have the events in FL with a funded spoiler candidate. NC with illegal voting. MI with illegal signatures. Not to mention the dozen or so Republicans charged with the 2020 election.

Post what you have on Democrats

 

Years ago (circa 2008 or so), when I still lived in California, there was a hard-fought ballot measure that passed, mandating that drawing voting districts be governed by a panel of Democrats, Republicans, a few other parties, and independents. Problem solved.

 

Because they have no platform, no ideas, no plans to do anything once elected aside from "getting the left." Since it became the MAGA party, the message is all about hate and revenge. Actual conservatives are either sticking their heads in the sand, or leaving the party.

The Democrats are hardly angels, but they do things, and many of those things improve our lives. They have solid plans to go with their campaign promises. Voters still tend to like that, even in these divided times.