Wisconsin Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Bothfeld II)

A pro-voting lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s congressional map as a partisan gerrymander.

Background

Lawsuit filed by voters against the Wisconsin Elections Commission in state court challenging the state’s congressional map as a partisan gerrymander that discriminates against Democrats. The plaintiffs allege that the current map packs a substantial share of Wisconsin’s Democrats into just two congressional districts, while cracking other Democratic communities into uncompetitive Republican districts. The plaintiffs argue that Wisconsin’s congressional map is unconstitutional because a partisan gerrymander violates the state constitution’s guarantees of equal protection, separation of powers, the promise to maintain a free government, and the right to free speech and association. The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional map and to bar the Wisconsin Elections Commission from conducting any future elections under the existing map.

Why It Matters

The current congressional map was adopted by the Wisconsin Supreme Court when it was controlled by conservative judges. Since then, the number of congressional seats held by Democratic members has been substantially below the state’s relative Democratic vote share, with Republicans receiving on average fewer than 50% of the votes cast in statewide races but winning more than 60% of the congressional seats. This lawsuit is the latest in a series of efforts aimed at securing a court order to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 election.

Latest Updates

• Dec. 12, 2025: The court granted the Wisconsin State Legislature’s motion to intervene.
• Nov. 25, 2025: Wisconsin’s Supreme Court appointed a three-judge panel to hear the lawsuit.
• Oct. 20, 2025: Plaintiffs filed their response brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
• Oct. 17, 2025: The Wisconsin Supreme Court allowed the state’s six Republican members of Congress to intervene as defendants.
• Oct. 16, 2025: Republican Congressmen filed their response brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
• Oct. 9, 2025: Plaintiffs filed their brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court. They are asking the court to either appoint a three-judge panel to hear the case or permit a single judge in Dane County Circuit Court to do so. In either scenario, the voters urge the Wisconsin Supreme Court to act quickly to ensure there is enough time for the case to be resolved and a new map implemented before the August 2026 congressional primaries. Wisconsin’s six Republican Congressmen and voters also filed a motion to intervene as defendants, asked two of the court’s liberal justices to recuse themselves from the case, and filed their brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
• Sept. 25, 2025: The Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered briefing on whether the complaint constitutes a valid redistricting challenge under state law.
• Sept. 5, 2025: Plaintiffs filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings.
• July 21, 2025: Plaintiffs filed their complaint.