MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) — Noncontiguous districts are a key component of the redistricting lawsuit being considered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The lawsuit argues that current legislative district maps violate the state’s Constitution because some districts include pieces of land that are not connected.
Justice Janet Protesewicz questioned Mark Gaber, an attorney for the plaintiffs.
“I believe in your brief you argued that 54 Assembly districts and 21 Senate districts contain non contiguous territory,” said Protesewicz. “How does that compare to other states across the country?”
Gaber said Wisconsin has many more than other states combined.
“There’s like a total of seven in the country. They haven’t been challenged. Wisconsin has 75. This shocks people across the country who look at this map,” said Gaber.
If the lawsuit is successful, it will force half of the state Senate to run in new districts in a special election in 2024. It’s unclear who would draw new maps if the court upholds the lawsuit.
