SPLIT SUPREME COURT THURSDAY
ADOPTED GOVERNOR TONY EVERS'
VOTING MAPS FOR WISCONSIN
LEGISLATIVE AND CONGRESSIONAL
BOUNDARIES.
THE MAPS ADHERED TO THE LEAST
CHANGE APPROACH TO THE CURRENT
LINES THE COURT REQUIRED.
JUSTICE BRIAN HAGEDORN VOTED
WITH THE THREE LIBERALS ON THE
COURT, WRITING THE MAJORITY
OPINION.
ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNOR,
APPLYING AN AVERAGE OF SIX
STATEWIDE ELECTIONS SINCE 2016,
HIS MAPS WOULD ELECT
44 DEMOCRATS AND 55 REPUBLICANS
TO THE ASSEMBLY, 13 DEMOCRATS
AND 20 REPUBLICANS TO THE
SENATE, AND THREE DEMOCRATS AND
FIVE REPUBLICANS TO CONGRESS.
THAT'S COMPARED TO THE R CAB MAP
WHICH WOULDMAP.
WE BREAK IT DOWN WITH POLITICAL
SCIENTIST BARRY BURDEN.
>> SO IT'S DECLARED A
SIGNIFICANT VICTORY FOR THE
DEMS.
WOULD YOU DECLARE THAT?
>> WELL, I WOULD SAY IT'S THE
LEAST BAD OPTION FOR THE
DEMOCRATS.
JUST ABOUT ANY MAP THAT WOULD BE
ADOPTED IS GOING TO HAVE AN
ADVANTAGE FOR THE REPUBLICANS
BUILT IN, AND THAT'S ESPECIALLY
TRUE BECAUSE THE COURT MANDATED
THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ONLY
ACCEPT MAPS THAT HAD THE MINIMAL
AMOUNT OF CHANGE TO THE EXISTING
DISTRICTS AND THOSE WERE, OF
COURSE, DRAWN BY REPUBLICANS 10
YEARS AGO AND HAVE WORKED QUITE
WELL TO LOCK IN REPUBLICAN
MAJORITIES.
SO THIS IS ABOUT THE BEST THE
DEMOCRATS COULD HOPE FOR, BUT IT
STILL PUTS THEM ON THE DEFENSE.
>> SO HOW SIMILAR ARE THESE MAPS
TO THE EXISTING G.O.P. MAPS TH
THEN?
>> WELL, THEY'RE QUITE SIMILAR
AND THAT'S WHY THE EVERS MAPS
WERE SELECTED OVER THE OTHER
OPTIONS.
THERE WERE ABOUT A HALF A DOZEN
MAPS SUBMITTED TO THE SUPREME
COURT.
THEY COULD HAVE PICKED ANY OF
THEM OR DRAWN THEIR OWN MAP AND
THEY PICKED EE VEFERS' AS
HAGEDORN SAID BECAUSE IT BEAT
THE OTHERS ON THE CRITERION OF
KEEPING AS MANY PEOPLE IN THE
SAME DISTRICTS AS THEY'RE IN
NOW.
>> DO THE EVERS MAPS MAKE
DISTRICTS AT ALL MORE
COMPETITIVE AS A WHOLE?
>> SLIGHTLY.
I THINK AT THE CONGRESSIONAL
LEVEL, THERE ARE EIGHT
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, THE
EVERS' MAPS MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR
DEMOCRATS TO WIN THREE OR MAYBE
FOUR OF THE EIGHT DISTRICTS,
WHEREAS I THINK ANY OF THE
REPUBLICAN ORIENTED MAPS WOULD
HAVE HAD A 6-2 MARGIN FOR THE
G.O.P., AND IT MAKES THE
ASSEMBLY AT LEAST WITHIN THE
REALM OF POSSIBILITY OF
DEMOCRATS WINNING BACK THE
MAJORITY.
THEY WOULD NEED A REALLY GOOD
ELECTION CYCLE FOR THAT TO
HAPPEN BECAUSE THE EXPECTATION
IS THEY PROBABLY HAVE IN THE LOW
TO MID 40s OUT OF THE 99
SEATS, BUT MOST OF THE SEATS ARE
GOING TO BE SAFE IN THE
ASSEMBLY, THE SENATE AND THE
CONGRESSIONAL LEVEL.
>> LOOKING AT WHAT'S REGARDED AS
ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, THE
THIRD, EVERS' MAPS KEEPS STEVENS
POINT IN THE DISTRICT WHEREAS
THE G.O.P. MAPS REMOVE IT.
HOW SIG IS THAT IN THE THIRD?
>> IT'S PROBABLY ESSENTIAL TO
KEEPING -- STEVENS POINT IS AN
ARM THAT STICKS OUT FROM THE
DISTRICT IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP.
THAT WAS INTENTIONALLY ADDED 10
YEARS AGO, IN PART TO CREATION
THE DISTRICT JUST NORTH OF IT,
WHICH HAD BEEN SHAWN DUFFEY'S
DISTRICT, MORE REPUBLICAN, SORT
OF A DEAL THAT HAD BEEN WORKED
OUT.
KEEPING THAT ARM OF THE DISTRICT
IN IT, AT LEAST GIVES DEMOCRATS
THE POSSIBILITY OF HOLDING ON
EVEN THOUGH RON KIND WON'T BE
THE INCOUPLE INCUMBENT THE NEXE
AROUND.
>> REPUBLICAN LEGISLATIVE
LEADERS SAID THAT, QUOTE, TONY
EVERS DREW RACIALLY
GERRYMANDERED MAPS BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS WITH NO PUBLIC INPUT, AND
TDISSENTING CONSERVATIVE JUSTICS
REGARD THE EVERS MAPS AS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND FATALLY
FLAWED.
HOW SALIENT ARE THESE
CRITICISMS?
>> WELL, ALL OF THE MAPS THAT
WERE SUBMITTED TO THE COURT WERE
DRAWN IN SECRET SOMEWHERE.
NONE OF THEM WERE DONE OUT IN
THE PUBLIC SQUARE.
SO I'M NOT SURE THAT'S MUCH OF A
CRITICISM.
BUT THE MINORITY ON THE COURT
WAS REALLY INCENSED THAT THEY
THOUGHT THE EVERS MAPS VIOLATED
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT, VIOLATED
THE CONSTITUTION BY PRODUCING
THESE SEVEN BARE MAJORITY OR
CLOSE TO MAJORITY BLACK ASSEMBLY
DISTRICTS.
I'M NOT SURE THAT ARGUMENT WILL
HOLD BUT THEY SEEM TO BE HOPING
THAT THE LOSERS IN THIS CASE
WILL TAKE AN APPEAL TO THE U.S.
SUPREME COURT AND TRY TO
CHALLENGE THE MAPS ON THE BASIS
OF VIOLATING EITHER THE VRA OR
THE 14TH AMENDMENT, WHICH
GUARANTEES EQUAL PROTECTION.
THAT WOULD BE A REAL SHOWDOWN, I
THINK, AT THE SUPREME COURT
LEVEL TO THINK ABOUT CHANGING I
THINK STANDING INTERPRETATIONS
OF THE VRA TO SAY THAT DRAWING
ON THE BASIS OF RACE AND THE WAY
THAT EVERS DID VIOLATES THE
CONSTITUTION.
>> AND SO WOULD THAT BE
EXPECTED, THAT THIS WOULD GO UP?
>> IT'S VERY UNCLEAR.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE LOSING
PLAINTIFFS IN THE CASE WILL
THINK IT'S TANTALIZING ENOUGH TO
TRY TO BRING AN APPEAL.
I DON'T KNOW THE U.S. SUPREME
COURT WOULD TAKE IT EVEN IF THE
APPEAL WAS SEPTEMBER THEIR WAY.
SENT THEIR WAY?
THIS IS A HOT ISSUE, A LOT OF IT
IS SETTLED LAW BUT SOMETHING
CONSERVATIVES ARE INTERESTED IN
REVISITING SO THIS IS A DECISION
THAT GETS MADE OVER THE COMING
WEEKS.
>> NOT WITHSTANDING THAT, WE
KNOW REPUBLICANS STILL HOLD A
MAJORITY IN THESE LEAST CHANGE
MAPS, BUT DOES THIS HAVE
IMPLICATIONS IN THIS YEAR'S
ELECTIONS?
>> WELL, ASSUMING THERE ARE NO
APPEALS AND THE DECISION HOLDS,
WE NOW KNOW WHAT THE DISTRICTS
WILL LOOK LIKE.
THAT SETS UP NOW DECISIONS BY
CANDIDATES TO DECIDE WHETHER
THEY'RE GOING TO RUN.
THERE ARE A FEW INCUMBENTS IN
THE STATE LEGISLATURE WHO GOT
PAIRED AGAINST ONE ANOTHER AND
WILL HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER THEY
WANT TO FACE OFF IN THE PRIMARY
OR SOME OF THEM STAND DOWN.
I THINK AT THE CONGRESSIONAL
LEVEL, THE THIRD DISTRICT THAT
WE TALKED ABOUT A MOMENT AGO IS
THE MOST INTERESTING OF THE
EIGHT DISTRICTS.
IT'S THE ONLY OPEN SEAT IN THE
STATE, IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST
BALANCED OF THE EIGHT DISTRICTS
AND IT WILL GET A LOT OF
NATIONAL ATTENTION.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, WE'LL BE WATCHING AS WELL.
BARRY BURDEN, THANK YOU.
>> GLAD TO BE WITH YOU.
>> BURDEN ALSO SAYS ANOTHER
SCENARIO IS FOR REPUBLICANS TO
USE THESE MAPS THIS YEAR AND
JUST REDRAW NEW ONES IF AND WHEN
A REPUBLICAN BECOMES GOVERNOR IN
2023.
ALSO AT THE CAPITAL, FORMER