Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Wednesday the use of a map that configured Wisconsin’s congressional district for the elections of this year. This was approved by Democratic Governor Tony Evers. It gives a boost to President Joe Biden’s efforts to keep control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The justices turned away a Republican bid to block the map drafted by Evers and approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court setting boundaries for the state’s eight U.S. House districts after the governor vetoed one made by the Republican-controlled legislature he deemed unfairly skewed against Democrats. Five Republican members of the U.S. House made an emergency request to justices.

Also, the court granted a Republican request for blocking new maps to Wisconsin’s legislature. Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan were liberal justices. This case was referred back to Wisconsin Supreme Court, and it was ordered to adopt new maps that would lay out each district.

The primary election for Wisconsin’s party is scheduled for August 9, and the general election will be held on November 8. Nationally, Republicans want to eliminate the narrow majority held by Biden and his fellow Democrats in each chamber of Congress.

Democrats and others have accused Wisconsin Republicans, along with other critics, of using their state legislative control to alter electoral maps in order to increase the percentage of Republican-majority districts.

Wisconsin’s electorate is split between the two major parties. According to election experts, Wisconsin’s electoral maps are among the worst in the nation.

Republican legislators challenged a portion of a March 3, Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling which adopted Evers’ map, within the constraints of an earlier decision. Although the map Evers drew still favors Republicans in large part, it is not as favorable as those proposed by Republican state legislators.

Wisconsin currently has five Republican House Districts and three Democrats.