Wisconsin has become the latest battleground in the national fight over congressional redistricting, with a little-used legal process now poised to determine the state’s congressional maps ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The potential redrawing of districts could open up opportunities for Democrats in a state where Republicans currently hold six of eight seats. The effort hinges on a 2011 law passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature under former Governor Scott Walker, which allows the Wisconsin Supreme Court to appoint three-judge panels to hear redistricting lawsuits.
Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court rejected multiple challenges to the current congressional map, even after liberals regained a majority on the nonpartisan court in 2023 and 2025. Following those rejections, new lawsuits were filed in Dane County Circuit Court, triggering the judicial panel process. In late November, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered two three-judge panels — one for each case — to hear the claims. Although unprecedented in state court, experts note that three-judge panels are common in federal redistricting and Voting Rights Act cases. Conservatives on the Supreme Court and Republican officials in Wisconsin have criticized the move as partisan, while Democrats argue it is a standard legal procedure that could produce fairer maps. The panels convened for initial hearings on Friday, setting the stage for a potentially accelerated timeline that could see new congressional districts established before the April candidate filing deadline.