Wisconsin Legislature wants in on redistricting lawsuit

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature wants to intervene in a federal lawsuit brought by Democrats that seeks to throw out the state’s current congressional and legislative district boundaries and not have them be the basis for drawing new maps.

The lawsuit was filed on Friday, the day after the U.S. Census Bureau delivered population data to the states that will be used as the basis for redrawing maps this year.

The lawsuit, brought by attorney Marc Elias, who is leading the Democratic fight against new voting restrictions, asks the court to prevent the Wisconsin Elections Commission from using the current maps for any future elections and to intervene now and be prepared to draw new maps if Gov. Tony Evers and legislators don’t reach a deal.

Republican leaders of the Wisconsin Legislature circulated a ballot on Monday seeking approval from a GOP-controlled organizational committee to intervene in the lawsuit and hire attorneys outside of the state Department of Justice.

There is an ongoing, separate legal battle over whether Republican legislative leaders could hire attorneys for redistricting before a lawsuit was filed. That contract allowed for spending more than $1 million in taxpayer money on two law firms, including a Washington-area law firm that represented former President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee.