Wisconsin Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Wisconsin Business Leaders)

A pro-voting lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s congressional map as an anti-competitive gerrymander. 

Background

Lawsuit filed by Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy against the Wisconsin Elections Commission in state court challenging the state’s congressional map as an anti-competitive gerrymander. An anti-competitive gerrymander occurs when elected officials work in concert to draw district lines to suppress electoral competition, benefiting incumbent politicians and hurting voters. The plaintiff argues that Wisconsin’s congressional map is unconstitutional because an anti-competitive gerrymander violates the state constitution’s guarantees of equal protection, the promise to maintain a free government, and the right to vote. The lawsuit notes that the median margin of victory for candidates in the eight districts since the maps were enacted is close to 30 percentage points. The plaintiff is seeking a court order to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional map

Why It Matters

The current congressional map was adopted by the Wisconsin Supreme Court when it was controlled by conservative judges. Despite a near-even partisan split in Wisconsin, six of the state’s eight congressional districts are held by Republicans. By contrast, in 2010, the year before Republicans redrew the congressional map, Democrats held five seats compared with three for Republicans. This lawsuit comes less than two weeks after a liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear another lawsuit that asked for a new congressional map before the 2026 election.

Latest Updates

• July 8, 2025: Plaintiff filed its complaint.