The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state’s congressional map “clearly, plainly and palpably” violates the state constitution and blocked its use from the May 2018 primaries. A group of Democratic voters had brought the challenge, saying the 18 U.S. House of Representatives districts were drawn as an unconstitutional gerrymander that discriminates against Democrats. The justices ordered a new map be redrawn immediately. If no acceptable map is submitted by Feb. 15, the court will “proceed expeditiously” to adopt its own plan. The Democratic-controlled court issued the order Monday.
“Should the Pennsylvania General Assembly choose to submit a congressional districting plan that satisfies the requirements of the Pennsylvania Constitution, it shall submit such a plan for consideration by the Governor on or before February 9, 2018,” the order said. “Should the General Assembly not submit a congressional districting plan on or before February 9, 2018, or should the Governor not approve the General Assembly’s plan on or before February 15, 2018, this Court shall proceed expeditiously to adopt a plan based on the evidentiary record developed in the Commonwealth Court.”
The special election for the District 18 seat of former Rep. Tim Murphy will not be affected, the order said. The state’s congressional delegation is controlled by Republicans, 13-5, even though registered Democratic voters outnumber registered Republicans.
Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman issued a statement that said in part: “Today’s ruling by the State Supreme Court is a partisan action showing a distinct lack of respect for the Constitution and the legislative process. The PA Supreme Court has overstepped its legal authority and set up an impossible deadline that will only introduce chaos in the upcoming Congressional election.”
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement: “I strongly believe that gerrymandering is wrong and consistently have stated that the current maps are unfair to Pennsylvanians. My administration is reviewing the order and we are assessing the executive branch’s next steps in this process.”
The Associated Press contributed.
This story is developing. Please stay tuned for more updates.
First Published January 22, 2018, 1:59pm
carnegiedems.org 
The court stated that the short timeline allows the new map to be used in the May primary election. General Assembly leadership will try to get SCOTUS to issue a stay, saying there’s not enough time to get a new map in place. Gerrymandering has been amazingly successful. PA has more registered Ds than Rs, and yet our Congressional delegation is 13 Rs and 5 Ds. (note: one of those Rs is Tim Murphy’s open seat).
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