The seats, left vacant by an assemblyman and state senator who resigned in December to take jobs in Walker’s Republican administration, will otherwise remain open until January 2019, following the regularly scheduled elections for the seats in November.
Eric Holder, who was President Barack Obama’s first attorney general and is now chairman of the foundation’s parent organization, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said that although most of his focus right now is on fundraising and campaigning around redistricting, he felt drawn to this lawsuit out of good-government concerns, as well as talk about Democratic efforts to win the seats if and when there are races.