Two people close to Wisconsin’s gerrymandering lawsuit will give an update on the case at a community supper at the Viroqua American Legion on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case Oct. 3 following a lower court’s 2–1 opinion that the state’s 2011 Assembly redistricting plan was a partisan gerrymander, which guarantees a Republican majority in the state Assembly “in any likely electoral scenario.”
Emily Bunting of Viola, one of the plaintiffs, will speak on her impressions from attending the hearing.
“We felt our arguments were strong,” she said. “Paul Smith (an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center who argued the plaintiffs’ case) did an excellent job of presenting them, and the Justices seemed engaged and asked lots of questions. We’re optimistic that they’ll agree with us in this case.”
Stephen Schulhofer, professor at New York University School of Law, who wrote one of the briefs, will discuss the legal standard, prospects for success, and the path ahead whether the plaintiffs are successful or not.
“The court’s decision will have widespread national implications, along with its immediate implications for Wisconsin Assembly elections in 2018 and 2020, the elections that will determine who draws district lines for the next decade,” he said. (States draw new redistricting lines following each census.)
“But success in the Supreme Court will not be a panacea,” Schulhofer said. “Without a new system such as a nonpartisan districting commission, highly partisan gerrymandering will remain a significant danger even under the most favorable conceivable decision from the Supreme Court.”
The event at the Viroqua American Legion,120 N. Rusk Ave., across from Nelson Agri Center, is free and open to the public. At 5:30 p.m., people attending can purchase tacos for $1.50 at the Legion bar. The program will begin at approximately 6:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. This is the fifth community supper held in communities throughout Vernon County this year by the Vernon County Democratic Party.
