Court says Republican gerrymandering in Wisconsin was unconstitutional

Republicans in Wisconsin tilted district maps in their favor in order to hamper Democrats and ultimately win state elections in 2012 and 2014, a federal court said on Monday in a case that could influence future rulings on gerrymandering. The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin decided 2-1 that Act 43, a redrawing of districts approved by the state's Republican-led legislature in 2012, violated the U.S. Constitution, court documents showed. "We find that the discriminatory effect is not explained by the political geography of Wisconsin nor is it justified by a legitimate state interest," the court wrote in its ruling.