Republican leaders continue fight against new congressional map

The new map imposed by the court is undoubtedly less gerrymandered than the previous one, which has been drawn by Republican state lawmakers after the 2010 census.

We have now used the existing maps for three straight elections.

The new 16th District includes most of western Butler County and all of Lawrence, Mercer, Crawford and Erie counties.

A portion of the new map depicting redrawn congressional districts in Pennsylvania.

Gone are the awkward tentacles and interweaving of districts in the Philadelphia suburbs.

District 12 encompasses all of Beaver County and parts of Allegheny, Cambria, Lawrence, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.

Concurrently, Pennsylvania Republicans today filed suit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, naming as defendants Robert Torres, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State, and Jonathan Marks, a state elections officer-both are responsible for implementing the court’s map before the 2018 primaries and midterms.

The suit was filed in USA district court in Harrisburg, the state capitol. What you might not know, however, is that the number of Justices hasn’t always been set at nine. Most people learn this by third grade, but apparently not the Republicans in the Pennsylvania legislature. They succeeded in that aim: Republicans won 13 of 18 seats in three straight elections even though Pennsylvania’s registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans. “The new map will not take effect until January”. With a bit of a wind at their backs, Democrats could win up to 11.

The court ruled this year that the congressional map drawn by Republican legislators in 2011 was a partisan gerrymander that “clearly, plainly, and palpably” violated the state constitution, and the justices ordered the state’s Legislature and governor to draw a new map.

GOP leaders have said the lack of guidance is the reason they didn’t start drawing a map in earnest until 48 hours before it was due – a decision that left them no time to get a vote from the Legislature.

While there is no doubt that the Republicans in control took gerrymandering to a form of high art in the 2011 map, it was believed to have checked all of the limited constitutional boxes understood to be in play at the time.

“My dedicated staff and I are focused on providing the best possible service to the constituents of our district every day, no matter where its boundaries are drawn”. Under the new map, observers expect the delegation will be more evenly divided.

How favorable is this map for Democrats? “This is a stop-gap measure” toward getting politics out of redistricting.

Republicans vow to appeal this new map to the federal courts, arguing that it’s Democratic-tilted gerrymandering.

“The legislature had its chance”, she states.

That is the case that led to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s groundbreaking decision under the state constitution, and the new map that is now being collaterally attacked by Republicans in a new federal complaint.

With no map meeting the approval of all interested parties, the state Supreme Court released its own version on Monday. But the case was decided on state law, which will make the federal courts reluctant to intervene.

Gerrymandered district lines disrespect the will of the voters, but so does constantly shifting district lines. Wolf rejected a map submitted by Republicans last week. They deserved to lose their ill-gotten advantage.

Ellwood City mayor Tony Court said he is optimistic about the new map.