New lawsuits could overturn Wisconsin’s congressional maps

Two lawsuits filed with the Wisconsin Supreme Court could overturn the state’s congressional maps, which have favored the Republican Party for years thanks to gerrymandering.

Wisconsin currently has eight Congressional districts, with six of the seats being held by Republican representatives and two for Democrats. In contrast, President Donald Trump narrowly won the state last November over Vice President Kamala Harris 49.6% to 48.7%.

Only one of the Republican seats, held by Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R), is projected to be competitive in the 2026 midterm elections. But new maps could change that.

One of the lawsuits claims that the congressional maps are illegally gerrymandered to favor Republicans and deprives voters of equal say in their representation in Congress. The lawsuit was filed by Elias Law Group on behalf of Wisconsin voters.

“Wisconsin voters deserve congressional districts that ensure all voices and viewpoints are fairly represented,” Elias Law Group partner Abha Khanna said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s current congressional map has unfairly rewarded Republicans with a significant electoral advantage and will continue to do so for the remainder of the decade. Wisconsin voters should not have to endure another election cycle under unconstitutional district lines, and we are proud to represent voters who are calling on the court to strike down this illegal map.”

A separate lawsuit was filed by Campaign Legal Center and argues that the current maps violate the Wisconsin Constitution’s requirement that all citizens must be treated equal.

The state Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the cases and if new congressional maps will be drawn before the 2026 elections. The state court currently has a 4-3 liberal majority that will remain in place after newly elected liberal Justice Susan Crawford is sworn in on Aug. 1.

Last year, the court rejected a lawsuit seeking to redraw the congressional maps, but did rule to implement new legislative maps for the state Assembly and state Senate. Those new maps saw the GOP lose their years-long supermajority in both chambers and allowed Democrats to flip 14 seats in the Assembly.

The court approved the current congressional maps in 2022 after Gov. Tony Evers (D) created “least change” maps ordered by the judiciary. Still, the nonpartisan Gerrymandering Project at Princeton University gave the maps a “F” rating because of their bias towards Republicans, as evident in still lopsided state legislative elections.

Rep. Bryan Steil’s (R) seat is rated as “likely Republican” by Cook Political Report, but he could see a more complicated path to reelection if new congressional maps are implemented.

“Unless the court decides to be hyper-partisan, as some have warned, this claim should be quickly dismissed,” a spokesperson for Steil told Roll Call. “The same claim was unanimously rejected by the same justices last year. Whatever happens, Steil plans to run for reelection and win.”

Steil does not have a declared Democratic opponent for 2026 yet. Van Orden will likely face Rebecca Cooke, who came within three percentage points of unseating him last year.