The U.S. Supreme Court takes on a battle Tuesday over electoral maps drawn by Republicans in Wisconsin that could influence elections for decades across the country.
The justices will hear arguments in a case that a lower court determined the Republican-drawn maps were designed to keep them entrenched in power.
The high court will consider the legitimacy of gerrymandering, the manipulation of the boundaries of electoral districts to favor one party. It will also consider whether Republicans in the midwestern state of Wisconsin deliberately planned to hinder Democrats.
The case provides the nine justices with an opportunity to develop the first standards by which gerrymandering claims can be measured.
Wisconsin is appealing a lower court’s decision that the maps drawn by state Republicans had such extreme partisan intent that it violated the constitutional rights of voters.
Wisconsin Republicans contend the courts should not be involved in settling disputes over gerrymandering.
The state’s electoral map enabled Republicans to capture a substantial majority of Wisconsin legislative seats, despite losing the statewide popular vote to Democrats.
The lower court ruled last November that Wisconsin’s redistricting plan violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.
State and federal legislative boundaries are redrawn after the federal government conducts a census every decade to ensure each district contains about the same number of people.
Redistricting is typically done by the controlling parties in state legislatures.
