Court throws out GOP Act 43 redistricting maps as unconstitutional
Barca calls for new process to be open and respect public and communities
MADISON – Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) released the following statement today in response to the Eastern District of Wisconsin court’s decision enjoined Act 43 on redistricting, saying it is unconstitutional. It will require the Legislature to revisit redistricting in a less partisan, extreme manner:
“Federal judges found that Republicans broke the law. We all knew the process for redistricting was flawed. The court has now enjoined the maps because the outcome was also flawed.
“Following an unprecedented, extreme, secretive process, federal judges state that more than one million citizens of Wisconsin have been ‘needlessly moved’ in a fashion that was ‘needlessly secret.’
“Now that Act 43 does not exist, we need to immediately begin to redraw the maps in a manner that is fully open and transparent and does not, in the words of the court, ‘needlessly move’ more than a million citizens of Wisconsin.
“Republicans created blatantly partisan redistricting maps designed to protect them from accountability. They hid the process from the taxpayers, even signing unprecedented secrecy oaths with their taxpayer-funded attorneys. This took the partisanship to extreme levels never before seen in this process.
“After being harshly chastised by the federal panel of judges who called the process 'all but shameful' they were given two chances to redo the maps…and they disrespectfully refused to take the judges up on their reasonable offer to fix what their own attorney admitted were 'wildly gerrymandered' maps.
“They have given the Legislature another chance – and we stand ready to work with the Republicans to draw maps in a transparent, open fashion that respects the citizens of Wisconsin and our communities.”
Earlier this week, a nonpartisan watchdog group ranked states on integrity and released their report this week (3/19) giving Wisconsin an “F” for the way Republicans did redistricting. (http://www.stateintegrity.org/your_state)###