On September 3, 2026, the State Democracy Research Initiative filed an amicus brief on behalf of eight legal scholars encouraging the court to be mindful of the Wisconsin Constitution's foundational democratic commitments. The brief explains that this constitutionally embedded democracy principle prevents mapmakers from manipulating electoral districts for partisan advantage, and that partisan gerrymandering claims are justiciable. (The brief expresses no view on the ultimate merits of the plaintiffs' specific claim.)
This case considers whether the Wisconsin Constitution prohibits the adoption of congressional district maps that are the product of a partisan gerrymander. The plaintiffs-appellants in the case are challenging the validity of the state's congressional district maps, which the Wisconsin Supreme Court enacted in 2022 after the governor and legislature reached a redistricting impasse. Among other claims, they argue that the current maps constitute an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.
On September 3, 2026, the State Democracy Research Initiative (SDRI) filed an amicus brief on behalf of eight legal scholars encouraging the court to be mindful of the Wisconsin Constitution's foundational democratic commitments. The brief explains that this constitutionally embedded democracy principle prevents mapmakers from enacting gerrymandered electoral districts, and that partisan gerrymandering claims are justiciable. (The brief expresses no view on the ultimate merits of the plaintiffs' specific claim.)
The group of legal scholars includes Richard Briffault (Columbia Law School), Jessica Bulman-Pozen (Columbia Law School), Helen Hershkoff (New York University School of Law), Michael S. Kang (Northwestern Pritzker School of Law), Jonathan Marshfield (University of Florida Levin College of Law), Miriam Seifter (University of Wisconsin Law School), Robert F. Williams (Rutgers University School of Law), and Robert Yablon (University of Wisconsin Law School).
SDRI filed an amicus brief on behalf of the same group of legal scholars in a case bringing anti-competitive gerrymandering claims against Wisconsin’s current congressional districts. More information about that case is available here.