GOP Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn New PA Congressional Map

Pennsylvania Republicans have turned to the United States Supreme Court in their quest to overturn a state-court approved Congressional map.

The plaintiffs, which include a pair of GOP congressional candidates, argue that PA Supreme Court exceeded its authority by imposing the map without the legislature’s approval.

The petition came three days after U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson denied their request for a temporary restraining order against the map, saying she first would sort out “jurisdictional issues,” according to the Associated Press.

The PA high court picked a map from 13 submissions after the governor and state legislature could not come to an agreement. However, the plaintiffs claim “this course of action is flagrantly unconstitutional,” according to the 44-page filing. “The [adopted plan] contains other partisan gerrymanders designed to help Democrats and harm Republicans.”

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a co-chair of the National Republican redistricting Trust, has called out state courts in Pennsylvania and North Carolina over a perceived partisan impact. “[W]e can’t take for granted these Supreme Court elections and what impact they can have on the maps that are going to rule the country from a congressional perspective for the next decade,” Christie said.

Last month, the U.S. high court sided with Alabama in an appeal over its congressional map that allegedly discriminated against Black voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act. In that decision, the conservative majority allowed the state’s map to stand.

The plaintiffs ask that the Supreme Court toss out Pennsylvania’s map choice and force the Commonwealth to hold an at-large congressional election to fill the 17 seats allocated to the state until the General Assembly and governor can agree on a map.

“Having a court ‘suspend’ or delay the primary-election calendar to accommodate the judicial creation of a new congressional map is not an option,” the plaintiffs argued in the U.S. Supreme Court filing.

2 Responses

  1. S. Court turned North Carolina Dems down in a similar case. What SCourt should do is evaluate compensation for PA R voters for the incompetent R Leadership in State Senate and House. If they were more interested in working with Governor instead of grandstanding maybe the case would not have gone to PA Sup Ct.

    1. The old legal maxim comes into play here: “You cannot fix stupid, or evil.” So GOP is left to its own devices. SCOTUS should swiftly deny any relief and throw the case out of court.

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