MADISON, WI (WSAU-WRN) — Governor Tony Evers is asking the State Supreme Court to come to a swift decision regarding political maps that were recently thrown out by the US Supreme Court.
Evers says he wants to Court to either let him submit additional evidence to prop up the maps or consider changes to some Milwaukee-area districts, which the US Supreme Court said violated the Voting Rights Act by creating too many Black and Hispanic-Majority districts.
The Governor says his maps, drawn with help from his People’s Maps Commission, are still better than the ones drawn by Republican Lawmakers. The Wisconsin High Court initially selected Evers’ maps, saying they moved the fewest number of voters.
The US Supreme Court did leave Wisconsin’s new Congressional map in place.
UW Madison Law School professor Robert Yoblon told Wisconsin Radio Network on Wednesday that the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices can either schedule a new round of hearings in the case or go back and properly justify using the Voting Rights Act in their previous decision. “In order for that law to kick in, certain pre-conditions have to be met. What the US Supreme Court said [Wednesday] was that the Wisconsin Supreme Court hadn’t done enough to confirm that it was necessary to apply the Voting Rights Act.”
The WI Supreme Court will need to render a decision in time for candidates to begin circulating nominating papers for the August Primary Election.
