SCOTUS ruling on gerrymandering expected soon

The decision is expected soon. It could be the most important ruling from the United States Supreme Court this session. Its impact could be felt across politics for decades to come. The nation’s highest court is expected to rule soon, perhaps by Monday, in a case known as Gill vs. Whitford and it has to do with how legislative boundaries were drawn in Wisconsin. The suit alleges the political boundaries, drawn by Republican lawmakers, were unfairly gerry-mandered because the way the maps were drawn, even if a majority of people voted democratic, there was no chance for a democratic majority in the Legislature. The Court of Appeals agreed, calling the drawing of the current boundaries unconstitutional and overly partisan in nature, designed only to further entrench the party in power. The state appealed and the Supreme Court took arguments in the case last October. The ruling is expected soon. If the court rules Wisconsin’s method is unconstitutional, the political maps would have to be redrawn. But regardless of the outcome, the state should adopt a new method of drawing these political boundaries every ten years. A growing number of states are taking the jobs out of the hands of the politicians, appointing independent commissions to do the work in an effort to remove partisanship. That is a better way, and one that Wisconsin should adopt, regardless of the high court’s ruling.