MADISON, Wis. — A panel of three Wisconsin judges on Tuesday rejected a legal challenge from Democratic voters who wanted to force new congressional district boundaries in the key swing state before November’s elections.
The ruling may be taken to Wisconsin’s liberal-majority Supreme Court, though whether that court could act quickly enough to impact this year’s races remains uncertain. A separate redistricting lawsuit is also moving through the courts but won’t reach trial until April 2027.
These legal battles unfold as President Donald Trump pursues redistricting fights nationwide to help Republicans maintain their narrow House control after November.
The judicial panel stated in their decision they found “no basis to find the current congressional map invalid.” They explained the case needed dismissal because only Wisconsin’s Supreme Court holds authority to decide on map changes.
However, the judges emphasized they were “not endorsing the current congressional map” when throwing out the case.
“Rather, we, as circuit court judges, do not have the authority to read into a Wisconsin Supreme Court case an analysis that it does not contain,” the judges ruled.
GOP officials celebrated the outcome.
“This is a significant win for Republicans and a yet another blow to desperate Democrats who wanted to reshape the electoral landscape,” said Zach Bannon, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “By keeping Wisconsin’s current district lines in place for 2026, Republicans are in a strong position to build on our momentum to retain and grow our House majority.”
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court directed these redistricting cases to the three-judge panel last November despite Republican opposition. This marked the initial use of this procedure under legislation Republicans passed in 2011.
The rejected lawsuit claimed existing maps unfairly harm Democrats by concentrating large numbers of Democratic voters into two districts while splitting other Democratic communities across six GOP-leaning districts.
Before Republicans redrew congressional boundaries in 2010, Democrats controlled five House seats versus three for Republicans. Currently, Republicans occupy six of Wisconsin’s eight House seats, with only two considered truly competitive races.
These congressional boundaries, derived from 2010 maps, received approval from the state Supreme Court when conservative justices held the majority. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to block these maps in March 2022.
Democrats particularly want to challenge Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s western Wisconsin seat, as he’s a strong Trump ally. Van Orden claimed victory in 2022 after longtime Democratic Rep. Ron Kind stepped down, then won reelection in the 3rd District during 2024.
The other Democratic target is southeastern Wisconsin’s 1st District, where Republican Rep. Bryan Steil has served since 2019. Recent map adjustments made this district more competitive while maintaining Republican advantages.
Next year’s scheduled lawsuit comes from a bipartisan group of business leaders, though that case also faces a pending dismissal motion.
Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy contends in their legal filing that the state’s congressional maps violate constitutional principles through anti-competitive gerrymandering. Their lawsuit points out that winning candidates across all eight districts have averaged victory margins near 30 percentage points since these maps took effect.
