The News: A three-judge panel today granted WILL’s motion to dismiss, ending a lawsuit brought against Wisconsin’s current congressional maps. 

Two separate lawsuits seeking to overturn Wisconsin’s congressional maps were filed, and both were assigned to three-judge panels. WILL (and others) intervened in both lawsuits on behalf of a group of voters and moved to dismiss both. Last month, the first panel dismissed one of the suits, and today the second panel dismissed the other. 

The Quote: WILL Deputy Counsel, Lucas Vebber, stated, “The three-judge panel got it right. This is a victory for the rule of law in our state. WILL is proud to have represented our clients in this case and will continue to work to uphold our constitutional separation of powers.”

 

What the Court Said: In their decision, the court wrote,  

“Intervenors argue that Plaintiffs’ anti-competitive gerrymandering claims are not legally cognizable because (1) the partisan makeup of a congressional district presents a non-justiciable political question, and (2) the state constitutional provisions upon which Plaintiffs’ claims are based impose no limits on redistricting. …  

Upon careful review of the law, the panel concludes that Intervenors are correct. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has held that claims of the sort Plaintiffs allege are not actionable under Wisconsin law, and this panel, as an inferior tribunal exercising the powers of a circuit court, has no authority to modify or overrule that precedent. …  

“The panel is left with no option but to dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims.” 

WILL Fought Politically Driven Map Challenges Every Step of the Way: In court filings, WILL has detailed three major problems with the lawsuits. First, they both inappropriately asked a lower court in Madison to overrule the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Second, the challenges were filed far too late, referencing maps from 2011 that have long been replaced. Finally, that the claims lacked merit. The case dismissed last month brought claims under a partisan gerrymandering theory has been repeatedly rejected by state and federal courts – including the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The case dismissed today, brought an “anti-competitive gerrymandering” claim which has not been legally recognized anywhere, and would have many other unintended consequences. 

Read more:
Decision, April 2026