'Travesty for democracy': Wisconsin AG rips state Supreme Court for destroying legislature's legitimacy

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul warned a new state Supreme Court ruling had undermined the legitimacy of the state's legislature.

"The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday adopted Republican-drawn maps for the state Legislature, handing the GOP a victory just weeks after initially approving maps drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The court reversed itself after the U.S. Supreme Court in March said Evers’ maps were incorrectly adopted, and came just as candidates were about to begin circulating nominating papers to appear on this year’s ballot without being sure of district boundaries," the Associate Press reported Friday.

Kaul, a Democrat, tweeted a link to the story with his analysis.

"This decision is a travesty for democracy in Wisconsin. The court, applying a new standard in a case it never should have taken, has made one of the most extreme gerrymanders in America even worse," Kaul charged.

"This ruling entrenches control by politicians rather than voters, sapping what life remained from any claim that our legislature meaningfully represents the People," he warned.

Gov. Evers described the ruling as "outrageous."

"At a time when our democracy is under near-constant attack, the judiciary has abandoned our democracy in our most dire hour. This is an unconscionable miscarriage of justice," he charged.