Supreme Court won’t weigh in on maps for special elections
MADISON — The state Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to clarify which legislative maps should be used for any potential recall or special elections held before November, denying a request from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
The commission had sought clarification because the court previously deemed the state’s current maps unconstitutional, but new maps signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers do not take effect until November.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged that in a Dec. 22, 2023, decision, it blocked the elections commission from using the state’s current maps “in all future elections.”
“Based on the submissions before us, we decline to further clarify or amend the opinion and order,” the court wrote, noting that the maps passed by the Legislature and signed by Evers are not before the court in the existing redistricting case.
“We will ‘not depart from our general practice that this court will not offer an advisory opinion or make a pronouncement based on hypothetical facts,’” the court wrote. “As a threshold matter, it is WEC, not this court that has the ‘overall statutory responsibility for the administration of Wisconsin’s elections.’”
The decision comes as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos faces a second recall effort headed by Matthew Snorek of Burlington. Snorek launched the second effort last week as the group’s first is on pace to fail without enough signatures and allegations of widespread fraud.
It also comes as the 4th state Senate District seat sits vacant following the resignation of Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, who was appointed to a seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court bench. Evers has not yet called a special election to fill the seat.
“Based on the submissions before us, we decline to further clarify or amend the opinion and order.”
State Supreme Court