Wisconsin has new legislative maps, but won't have new congressional ones. Here's why.

While Wisconsin will vote based on new legislative districts in fall, the congressional maps will stay the same after the state Supreme Court rejected a request to reconsider them.

The new district maps signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will affect how Wisconsinites are represented in the statehouse in Madison. A separate case asked whether the districts that elect Wisconsin's eight U.S. House members in Washington should change as well.

Here's a breakdown of where the other case is at, why the state Supreme Court is being asked to review congressional maps, and the current makeup of Wisconsin's delegation in the House.

What's the status of the case challenging Wisconsin's congressional map?

After Evers signed the legislative maps, he asked the court to take up a motion to reconsider the congressional lines, giving that case a renewed push.

But the court rejected the request on March 1, meaning the current boundaries will stay in place for this year's elections for Congress.

Newly-elected liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz did not participate in a vote on the motion, saying that she was not seated on the court when the underlying case was decided.

If the court had taken up the motion, there would have been a very tight turnaround to put the new districts in place before the fall elections, when all U.S. House members are up for reelection.

Evers drew the congressional map. What was his argument for changing them?

Evers' latest request was grounded in a theory known as the "least-change" approach.

The congressional map Evers asked the court to reconsider is one he drew and the court approved two years ago. But at the time, the court said it was looking for minimal changes to election maps.

Democrats now argue that "least-change" is no longer required. That's because the court, in the legislative case that is wrapping up, said it would no longer favor maps that minimize changes.

And the new legislative maps do make significant changes — such as creating a district in the Fox Valley that leans Democratic.

More: A game-changing moment for Wisconsin Democrats. New maps put legislative majorities within reach

What's the current party makeup of the U.S. House members from Wisconsin?

Wisconsin has two Democratic U.S. House members — Rep. Gwen Moore, who represents the 4th District in Milwaukee, and Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents the 2nd District that includes Madison and surrounding counties.

Two of the congressional districts are considered competitive under the current maps, and are held by Republicans. Those are the western 3rd District, represented by Rep. Derrick Van Orden, and the southeastern 1st District, held by Rep. Bryan Steil.

The four other Republican members include Rep. Tom Tiffany in the northern 7th District, Rep. Glenn Grothman in the central 6th District, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald in the 5th District west of Milwaukee, and Rep. Mike Gallagher in the northeastern 8th District.

Gallagher isn't running for reelection, but Republicans are still likely to hold onto his seat. The district was once more of a battleground, but rural parts of the district have shifted right in the last decade.

Any changes to congressional maps wouldn't affect Wisconsin's U.S. senators, who are elected on a statewide basis. Those are Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is up for reelection, and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why does Wisconsin have new legislative maps, but not congressional ones?