Last week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court announced that they will be hearing an appeal to a lawsuit looking to redraw the congressional map. The maps could apply as early as the 2028 general elections.
The court agreed on the 29th of May that it will hear an appeal in a lawsuit challenging the state’s current congressional map as “anti-competitive gerrymander.” The court also denied the Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy’s request for an expedited trial schedule as the group would like to see these maps go into effect for the 2028 election. (RELATED: Milwaukee Public Schools Approves $1.6 Billion Budget Amid Low Proficiency Rates)
The lawsuit argues that Wisconsin’s current congressional map unfairly protects incumbents and reduces statewide competition. The case was dismissed earlier this year, finding that the “anti-competitive” argument was the same as a partisan gerrymandering claim. A previous Wisconsin Supreme Court decision said that issues such as these could not be heard in state court.
The district most likely to be affected would be the 1st, 3rd, and 7th Congressional districts, which are all seated by Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany. Wisconsin’s 3rd district is a significant target for the Democrats as winning that seat would not only gain a seat, but unseat vocal GOP member Derrick Van Orden. Whose race is considered a toss up according to polling data. The 1st district is currently run by Rep. Brian Steil.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reported that states have recently undertaken mid-decade redistricting at a pace not seen since the 1800s. Redistricting lines are typically drawn every ten years after the census. Since summer 2025, California, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah have implemented new congressional maps. (RELATED:Tom Tiffany Tells Graduates to Find Jobs AI Can’t Replace)
This past year, Wisconsin Dems and Tony Evers have been pushing legislation that creates a “third-party, nonpartisan” redistricting map. Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said in a statement that redistricting is one of the Legislature’s core powers, and “any changes to the current process have to be made intentionally and specifically using normal legislative procedure.”
