The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene in the pending lawsuit over Wisconsin’s electoral maps.
WILL president and general counsel Rick Esenberg said overturning the current maps would deny voters rightful representation.
“Make no mistake, this is a political assault on democracy. The petitioners want the Court to ‘discover’ that our Constitution suddenly prohibits longstanding practices and seeks maps they believe will favor their preferred candidates. Courts should not insert themselves into partisan controversies,” Esenberg said.
WILL’s request to join the case comes after Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday filed his own motion to intervene.
“Wisconsinites deserve fair maps – not the gerrymandered maps we have now that I already vetoed two years ago – and I will not stop fighting until we have a fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting process that ensures the people get to choose their elected officials in this state,” the governor said in a statement.
A number of liberal groups have asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to redraw the state’s current electoral maps. Legal filings in that case are due next week, and the high court has scheduled oral arguments for next month.
Evers says the current maps have elected officials picking voters, as opposed to voters picking elected officials.
WILL’s Luke Berg says the request to draw new maps is simply an attempt to get around the Republican-controlled legislature.
“This lawsuit is a transparent attempt to use the new Wisconsin Supreme Court majority to reshape Wisconsin’s political landscape. The claims raised in the lawsuit are meritless. WILL stands ready to defend Wisconsin’s voters from this attack.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court last week said it would take up the redistricting case to answer questions about whether Wisconsin’s legislative districts are contiguous and whether there is a separation of power concern with the maps.
In addition to drawing new maps, the case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court could mean a new election for more than a dozen state senators who were elected two years ago. WILL said that part of the case would unconstitutionally disenfranchise voters across the state.
