Federal Judges: Republicans Must Redraw Maps for Latino Assembly Districts Only

Top state Republicans were ordered to return to the congressional and legislative district map drawing board by three federal judges Thursday morning — but only for Milwaukee’s southern, Latino-heavy voting districts.

The court ruled new lines defining Assembly District 8 and 9, drawn last summer by the Republican-controlled Legislature, violate the federal Voting Rights Act by breaking the Latino community on Milwaukee’s south side into two districts, failing to create a majority-minority district.

However, the judges also ruled all other maps will remain in intact and dismissed other challenges.

Lawmakers will need to quickly redraw the districts on Milwaukee's south side with elections approaching.

Legislators are constitutionally required to redistrict every 10 years based on new census population figures and demographic changes. With other legal challenges aside, the maps go into effect in November.

Ozaukee County changes hold

The new congressional district lines moves Ozaukee County from the 5th District — which includes Washington County and parts of Waukesha and Jefferson counties and is represented by Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner — north, to become part of the 6th District.

The 6th District includes Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, part of Dodge, Columbia, Green Lake, Marquette, Waushara and part of Winnebago counties. Republican Congressman Tom Petri is currently the 6th District representative.

In the Senate, most of Ozaukee County as well as parts of Sheboygan, Dodge and Washington counties belong to the 20th District. While changes to the Senate District don't affect Port Washington and Saukville residents, it does push more of Ozaukee County — including all of Grafton — into the 8th Senate District. The 20th District then also gains part of Fond du Lac County, and gets rid of Dodge County altogether. Sen. Glenn Grothman represents the 20th Senate District.

Port Washington and Saukville also see no changes in Assembly District representation. The city and village will remain in the 60th Assembly District along with Trenton and Cedarburg, and the changes also move the map to include more area to the north and west, includng Belgium, Fredonia, Farmington and Jackson instead of Grafton. Grafton joins Theinsville, Fox Point, Bayside and Whitefish Bay in the 23rd District. Republican Duey Stroebel currently represents the 60th Assembly District.

Saga began last summer

Upon approval of the new boundaries by Republicans last summer, Democrats immediately labeled them unfair and a product of gerrymandering and two challenges emerged.

because nearly 300,000 people wouldn't be able to vote in state Senate races next year as they now live in a different district. The group said the maps disenfranchised those people by moving them to different district and forcing them to wait six years, not just four, for the next opportunity to vote again for their state senator. Senators serve four-year terms.

In the other challenge, a Latino community group filed a complaint arguing Republicans violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and that the maps are unfair to Latino citizens because they moved hundreds of thousands of people into new districts. Eventually the two suits were merged and judges rejected all but the Latino claims.

In early February, detailing legal agreements instructing state Republican leaders to ignore public comments and instead concentrate on information from secret sessions as new maps were drawn. The documents also included a set of talking points for GOP legislators.

The three-judge panel later ordered Republicans to turn over the documents to a group of Democrats, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.