GOP to pay two undisclosed law firms an indeterminate amount of tax dollars in an effort to defend the maps ruled unconstitutional.

MADISON, WI - The framers of Wisconsin's legislative districts, which were recently ruled unconstitutional, voted in secret last week to pay two undisclosed law firms an indeterminate amount of tax dollars in an effort to defend the maps. Today we learned that one of the lawyers has charged more than $1,300 per hour for his work. This, after tax payers have already footed more than $2.1 million to pay for lawyers to draw the maps in secret and defend them through two lawsuits!

If, like us, you find this shocking, contact your own representatives and the legislative leadership responsible for this decision. Let them know how you feel about this abuse of power and tax dollars. Also let them know that Wisconsin would save millions of dollars and create more competitive voting districts if it would adopt the Iowa model for redistricting. There, a nonpartisan legislative agency drafts the district maps. There is a current proposal in the Wisconsin legislature that would have our Legislative Reference Bureau, which drafts all legislation, do this.

• Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), (608) 266-9171, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), (608) 266-5660, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• To find your own legislators, click here and enter your address under Find My Legislators, next to the little green map of Wisconsin.

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League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, 612 W Main Street #200, Madison, WI 53703. Find out more at lwvwi.org

Wasting more money on lawyers to defend legislative districts recently ruled unconstitutional is an affront not just to the taxpayers but to the voters who have been denied fair elections and their true choice of representation in the State Legislature.

MADISON, WI - The Republican framers of Wisconsin's legislative districts, which were recently ruled unconstitutional, voted in secret last week to pay two undisclosed law firms an indeterminate amount of tax dollars in an effort to defend the maps. These are the same Republicans who already paid lawyers $2.1 million to set up and defend the unconstitutional districts through two lawsuits.

“Republican leaders can’t agree on how to fix our roads, find a way to keep and attract good teachers or make good on the Governor’s promise to create 250,000 jobs, but they can agree to give a blank check to high-priced corporate lawyers to defend their rigging of our elections," said Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay). “Instead of wasting more tax dollars GOP leaders should follow the federal court order and draw new, fair maps."

To do any less than the court order requires is an affront not just to the taxpayers but to the voters who have been denied fair elections and their true choice of representation in the State Legislature. Even better would be to pass Senate Bill 13 that would provide real, non-partisan redistricting reform.

“Unfortunately, it is clear from their recent actions that legislative Republicans do not care about safe roads, good public schools, Wisconsin’s workers, fair elections or the taxpayers," concludes Hansen, a champion of fair elections. "All they are concerned with is maintaining the unfair advantage they bought themselves with the public’s tax dollars.”

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Jay Wadd contributed to this story.