The state Supreme Court has rejected a Republican request to develop rules to fast-track redistricting lawsuits.
The conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and Republican leaders proposed rules last year that would require any state lawsuits filed over new boundaries to start in the state Supreme Court rather than lower courts.
Conservatives hold a 4-3 edge on the court. But the court denied the request Friday, saying the proposed procedures wouldn't help the justices if they end up weighing an as yet undefined redistricting challenge.
However, the justices noted that their decision doesn't mean they will reject a lawsuit that rises out of a lower court.
