A federal court said it will redraw the same Milwaukee Assembly District election maps it ruled unconstitutional last week, taking the task out of lawmakers hands.
The three-judge panel ruled the eighth and ninth districts were drawn by the Republican-controlled legislature in a way that violated the rights of Latino voters last week. State legislators declined to redraw maps.
The court also ordered the parties involved in the case to meet at least once before April 2 to attempt to reach an agreement on changes to the two districts. If they are unable to, each side can submit their own proposals to the court. The judges said they would only review altercations to the eighth and ninth district maps.
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen spokesperson Dana Brueck said the Department of Justice plans to meet with the plaintiffs to exchange alternative map proposals as the court required.
“We see it as a positive sign,” Brueck said of the court’s decision. “The court is serious about resolving this issue without a lot of tolerance for plaintiffs’ attempts to complicate matters.”
Additionally, Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, asked for the legal files pertaining to the redistricting case from the lawyers originally hired by Senate Republicans Tuesday.
He argued Democrats should have access to sensitive files since the Senate is now split and the lawyers arguing in defense of Republican lawmakers and their maps signed a contract with the state Senate, not only Republican Senators.
