NEW: @DaleKooyenga: "I'm very confident in God's plans & looking forward to redirecting the time I have spent in state service into my family, business & Army career if SCOTUS doesn't intervene." He adds he's in for the long fight, so far from over. MORE: https://t.co/NASOjRC0mT
One Wisconsin Democrat says African American lawmakers should discuss a federal challenge of the legislative maps created by the Democratic governor. "It’s something that has to be talked about," State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) told me.
https://t.co/NASOjRC0mT
The closure of a high quality private school in Milwaukee is not a story of a failure of #SchoolChoice, but rather of an antiquated system that funds buildings instead of kids.
https://t.co/Rh1PmMbBS4
The reform would be a game changer for Wisconsin. More take home pay. Higher employment. Higher GDP growth. It would be a win all around.” -@CJSzafir on removing the state income tax
https://t.co/FxT4387msb
To summarize, for years Governor Evers touted a 'people's commission' that came up with maps so terrible and unconstitutional he didn't even submit them to the Court. Then he hurriedly and secretly crafts maps with zero public input, and they...are still fatally flawed.
This pattern of Gov. Evers violating the least changes directive is found in the congressional map, too. The MKE based CD04 (Moore) is under-populated and must grow. The 1st CD (Steil) is also under-populated but is next to Madison based CD02 (Pocan) which must shed people…
…Logic dictates that CD04 should not give up any people – it must grow. And CD01 should grow into CD02. But Evers is playing games. In his map he makes the already under-populated MKE CD04 district give up people to CD01.
Look not just at the geographical variation Evers presents, but at the Black VAP differences between what the court has enacted for VRA districts and what Evers is proposing. Many Black legislators have argued that Black VAP around 50% is insufficient to meet the VRA.
A simple visual inspection makes it obvious the Evers map is not a least change map. @CSwisconsin prepared a map that makes least changes both geographically and demographically. You can see the Evers map is not remotely close to least change, the Legislative plan is.
The minority districts were drawn by the Fed court in ‘92 and ‘02 and the minority seats approved by Fed court in ’12 were based on the ’02 map. For this reason, it’s important that any least changes map begin here and follow the court template. Evers does not do that.
The map submitted by Gov Evers has 2 fatal flaws.
1) It is not a least change map as required by the court.
2) It violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Let’s explore and connect the dots.
Today's 🧵... Redistricting oral arguments happening before the SCOWIS today. Our Executive Director @joeminocqua conducted an extensive analysis of the 6 maps under consideration.
Summary: They all have flaws. But the Legislature’s map performs the best on the legal criteria.
New research confirms what parents and ed reformers have known all along: irrational school closures in service to the teachers unions are harming the mental health of kids.
https://t.co/JRXiyLH7bf
Attorney for Evers begins by saying it is 'undisputed' that his map is the true least change map.
@CSWisconsin did a thread earlier today that demonstrates the Evers claim is malarkey.
@JayWeber3 I don't think Sensenbrenner was a big fan of Nicholson the last time. He made a strong endorsement of Leah Vukmir, along with Paul Ryan, in an op-ed that appeared in @RightWisconsin: https://t.co/KCiUMkymQY
.@JBenderWI “More students took the state exam in the #SchoolChoice program than @MilwaukeeMPS. The problems with the report card are enough to call the entire report card into question.”
This morning @SenMarklein@RepWittke @SenStroebel and I discussed a pair of amendments that will secure long-term fiscal responsibility in the state Constitution by requiring GAAP accounting and restoring the legislative process for all funds spent by the state.