Redistricting and Gerrymandering

Two lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s congressional districts are unlikely to be resolved before the 2026 midterms, judges and schedules indicated during Dec. 12 hearings in Madison. One three-judge panel set a prospective trial date of April 5, 2027 if the case proceeds, while plaintiffs in a separate case urged a ruling by the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s March 1, 2026 map deadline; defendants argue rushing for 2026 would be unfair. The Wisconsin Supreme Court last month directed that such redistricting suits be first heard by three-judge panels under a 2011 law.

The Supreme Court issued an unsigned emergency stay allowing Texas to use a mid‑decade, GOP‑drawn congressional map for now — after Justice Alito had briefly reinstated it — saying delays could interfere with candidate qualifying ahead of March 2026 primaries. A three‑judge lower court had found likely racial discrimination (with a Trump‑appointed judge writing there was “substantial evidence”), but the high court’s decision, criticized in Justice Kagan’s dissent as effectively locking in the map, preserves a plan pushed by former President Trump that could net Republicans up to five additional House seats and has already prompted political fallout, including Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s decision not to seek reelection.