Federal court delays Wisconsin redistricting trial

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s redistricting trial has been delayed by a federal court for at least three months.

A panel of judges ruled 2-1 late Wednesday in favor of a Republican motion to delay the start of the April trial until after the U.S. Supreme Court decides similar cases related to election maps from Maryland and North Carolina.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in those cases in March and rule by June.

The majority wrote in Wednesday’s decision that holding a trial on the Wisconsin case before the Supreme Court reaches a decision in the other ones “would almost certainly lead to a significant waste of resources for the parties and the court.”

The panel on Wednesday also rejected a Republican request to dismiss the case.

Democrats argue maps drawn in Wisconsin were gerrymandered by Republicans to benefit them and that the GOP is simply trying to delay Wisconsin’s case until after the 2020 elections.