Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has thrown out the GOP-drawn district maps. That could be a huge change for the purple state
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson won reelection in 2022 in Wisconsin by just over 25,000 votes — the latest slim-majority victory in the state, which gave its 10 Electoral College votes to former President Donald Trump in 2016 with a victory of 22,000 votes and then flipped to President Joe Biden in 2020, who won the state by around 20,000 votes.
But despite the state’s history of winning elections on the margins, Republicans dominate the state legislature, with 64 Republicans and 35 Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly. The groundbreaking ruling in late December by the Wisconsin Supreme Court throwing out the GOP-drawn district lines could threaten that control — and change the state’s political landscape.
Though Republicans told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the U.S. Supreme Court will have the “last word” on the matter, now hinting at taking the fight to defend Wisconsin’s electoral maps, which have consistently favored the GOP, to the higher court.
“We will pursue all federal issues arising out of the redistricting litigation at the U.S. Supreme Court,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel following the state Supreme Court’s decision.
The 4-3 ruling, issued Friday, deemed the current GOP-drawn lines unconstitutional and cites a violation of the state constitution’s requirement of “contiguous territories” in districts. Set to be enforced in March 2024, the revised map will put all 132 state lawmakers up for reelection in a pivotal year, providing Democrats with an opportunity to challenge the Republican stronghold on the state’s legislature.
With a potential shift to a more evenly divided legislature, the new map could hold implications for key issues such as abortion, previously rejected by Republicans for inclusion on the 2024 ballot.
Nicole Safar, executive director at Law Forward, a nonprofit law firm representing the 19 Democratic voters in the lawsuit filed against the current map, said tossing the gerrymandered map will give voters more of a voice in the legislative process.
“I think in the next legislative session in 2025 and 2026, we will see a different kind of ability for the citizens to impact the policies that our legislature makes. We’ll see real organizing, lobbying and campaigning around things like access to abortion, gun safety and public education,” Safar said.
The lawsuit was filed in August, shortly after state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in, which tilted the Wisconsin Supreme Court from a conservative to a liberal majority. The race was the most expensive state Supreme Court election in American history, with Democrats spending over $50 million. In television advertisements, Protasiewicz called the maps “unfair” and “rigged” and spoke about her support of abortion rights.
Writing the dissent on the lawsuit, Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, a conservative, drew on Protasiewicz’s past statements. Ziegler argued that liberals were only hearing the gerrymandering case due to their current majority.
There “appears to be evidence of a partisan and political, rather than a reasoned and restrained, approach, and thus departs from the constitutional role of the judiciary,” Ziegler wrote.
Republicans contended that the redesigned map would lead to the creation of more Democrat-friendly districts before the 2024 election and had called for Protasiewicz to recuse herself from the case.
Speaker Vos even threatened impeachment if Protasiewicz refused. However, the Republican leader later stated during a news conference in October that they would temporarily drop impeachment charges and appeal any decisions to the U.S. Supreme Court if the state Supreme Court ruled on Republican-drawn maps and other conservative causes.
Now that the state Supreme Court has ruled to toss the political map, the state legislature and Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers are expected to agree on a new map.
If an agreement can’t be reached, the state’s Supreme Court will step in and consider maps based on the partisan makeup of the state, as per Justice Jill Karofsky’s opinion.
Evers, who has largely relied on his veto abilities to block the Republicans’ agenda throughout his tenure, said in a statement: “It’s clear to me that a Republican-controlled Legislature that has consistently gerrymandered itself into comfortable, partisan majorities for more than a decade is incapable of preparing fair, nonpartisan maps deserving of the people of this state. I agree with the Court’s determination that these maps are unconstitutional because the districts lack contiguity. Wisconsin is a purple state, and I look forward to submitting maps to the Court to consider and review that reflect and represent the makeup of our state. And I remain as optimistic as ever that, at long last, the gerrymandered maps Wisconsinites have endured for years might soon be history.”
According to Mark Gaber, senior director at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan group that seeks to curb partisanship in redistricting, a new map will likely not heavily favor either Republicans or Democrats.
“Wisconsin is a politically divided state with very close elections, with down-ballot races being even closer,” Gaber said.
And while Democrats are celebrating the redrawing of the state’s district lines, Gaber said the ruling should be viewed as a win for both parties because the new map will be “more representative of the true electorate,” which he noted as deeply purple.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin warns of “sextortion,” online crimes against kids
MILWAUKEE – The FBI calls it an online crime against kids – perpetrators convincing kids to send sexual images of themselves and then blackmailing them.
Online crime against kids
The backstory:
The reality is settling in. This will be Brittney Bird’s first Christmas without her son, Bradyn Bohn, since he was born. That is because just nine months ago, the 15-year-old died by suicide, just hours after telling his family good night.
“This winter has been pretty heavy,” Bird said. “This will be a lot of first this year.”
Bird said Bradyn was the kind of kid who would always try to make you launch. The teen had a lot of friends, played sports, did well academically, and had big plans for the future.
“Definitely a kid who we were just so proud of,” Bird said. “Bradyn never struggled with or suffered from mental illness or depression or anything of that nature so immediately we knew, you know something’s wrong.”
Once police went through Bradyn’s phone, she said it came out he was the victim of the cyber crime, sextortion.
What is sextortion?
What we know:
“Sextortion is a form of online child exploitation where a child is coerced by a perpetrator to send compromising images,” said Jesse Crowe from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
This week, the Wisconsin Department of Justice sent out a public service announcement on sextortion.
Officials say suspects often pose as someone else online. While exchanging messages, they convince a child to send images of themselves. Once they have explicit images of the child, they use the photos or videos to blackmail the child into sending even more images, money or ask for sexual favors.
FBI data, change in Wisconsin law
Dig deeper:
The FBI said victims are typically males between the ages of 14 and 17, but any child can be a target.
This crime led to at least 20 suicides between October 2021 and March 2023.
In the months after Bradyn’s death, change would come to Wisconsin. Earlier in December, Gov. Tony Evers signed Bradyn’s Law. It creates a new crime of sexual extortion in Wisconsin. It aims to ensure harsh penalties for those who exploit children online.
“It will bring, hopefully statewide, eventually nationwide attention to where every family is having this conversation with their kids,” Bird told FOX6 News.
Take action
What you can do:
The Department of Justice said the best thing to do if a child finds themselves in this situation is the following:
- Block the perpetrator
- Report the account, but do not delete the messages
- Tell a trusted adult
- Do not send any money
Resources available
The Source: Information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.
Wisconsin
Trump names Christmas Eve, Dec. 26 federal holidays. What does that mean for Wisconsin?
Holiday lights map
The City of Milwaukee Christmas Tree, Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival and Candy Cane Lane holiday events make the season bright.
President Donald Trump declared Christmas Eve and Dec. 26 to be federal holidays this year.
The Dec. 18 executive order deems the days as work holidays for all federal departments and agencies, but adds some of them will remain open. Certain offices may stay open on one or both days for “national security, defense, or other public need,” the order reads.
But, what does this mean for other federal workers and services?
Here’s what to know in Wisconsin:
Are Christmas Eve, Dec. 26 official federal holidays?
Even though Christmas Eve and Dec. 26 have been declared federal holidays in 2025, they are not permanent additions to the holiday schedule.
Legislation must be passed by Congress and then signed into law by the president for a federal holiday declaration to be official.
Who gets Christmas Eve, Dec. 26 off in Wisconsin?
Only federal agencies are set to be closed on Christmas Eve and Dec. 26, according to USA TODAY.
Since these two days have not been designated permanent federal holidays, many businesses that follow the schedule will likely not give their employees a last-minute extended Christmas break.
Wisconsin state government and Milwaukee city offices are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but will be open on Dec. 26.
Will mail still be delivered on Christmas Eve, Dec. 26 in Wisconsin?
Yes. The U.S. Postal Service will deliver mail and post office locations will remain open on Christmas Eve and Dec. 26, according to its website. Mail will not be delivered and locations will be closed on Christmas.
Will banks be open on Christmas Eve, Dec. 26 in Wisconsin?
Yes. Banks will follow the typical schedule of being open on Christmas Eve and Dec. 26, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. Banks will be closed on Christmas.
Mary Walrath-Holdridge of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Dec. 21, 2025
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 21, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
Midday: 0-7-9
Evening: 4-2-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
Midday: 9-7-3-0
Evening: 7-7-5-4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
Midday: 03-06-08-09-10-14-15-16-19-20-22
Evening: 02-05-07-12-13-14-15-16-20-21-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
03-08-19-25-28
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
04-10-27-30-33-39, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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