The Briefing Room
State Chapters => State Politics/Government => Topic started by: Suppressed on February 11, 2018, 09:38:58 pm
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Pennsylvania Republicans have drawn a new congressional map that is just as gerrymandered as the old one (https://out.reddit.com/t3_7wtjq2?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Fwonk%2Fwp%2F2018%2F02%2F11%2Fpennsylvania-republicans-have-drawn-a-new-congressional-map-that-is-just-as-gerrymandered-as-the-old-one%2F&token=AQAATcOAWjBGGpfKyDCn0L03sGq9us6uwWDs4RY3GQSyCOU2CVQp&app_name=reddit.com)
(I'm out of monthly WaPo views, so just a link. Apologies if the headline is wrong.)
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Well now, it appears the state SC may have done the job for them:
http://6abc.com/politics/pa-supreme-court-unveils-new-congressional-map/3109126/ (http://6abc.com/politics/pa-supreme-court-unveils-new-congressional-map/3109126/)
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court releases new congressional map
By Julia Manchester - 02/19/18 04:47 PM EST
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court released a new congressional map on Monday after the previous map was found to be a result of unconstitutional gerrymandering from Republicans.
The map, which was approved in a 4-3 vote, is set to go into effect in time for the state's May 15 primaries.
Pennsylvania's current map is considered to be one of the most gerrymandered in the U.S. President Trump captured the state with 48.6 percent of the vote in 2016, but Republicans hold 13 of the state's House seats, compared to only five for Democrats.
<..snip..>
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/374561-pa-supreme-court-releases-new-congressional-map (http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/374561-pa-supreme-court-releases-new-congressional-map)
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Fortunately the Penn SC just discovered a previously unknown clause in the State Constitution that assigns THEM the task of drawing Congressional boundaries. I'll bet counselor @Jazzhead is proud of his state tonight.
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Not up on PA constitutional state law, but can a state court (even the supreme court) over-ride the legislature in IMPOSING a new district map?
Or ... must their "new map" be ratified by the legislature?
I find it fundamentally wrong that a court -- ANY court -- can impose its will upon the legislature as such.
If they can (at least in PA), I would think a state constitutional amendment to take such power OUT OF the reach of the court would be in order.
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Separation of powers. If I were in charge of the Pennsylvania legislature, I would ignore the ruling and dare the court to try holding it in contempt. Let's force a constitutional crisis and settle this once and for all.
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More Info Here:
Pennsylvania supreme court rejects GOP-drawn congressional districts
Plaintiffs argued districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered as critics said they looked like Disney Characters
Mon 22 Jan 2018 14.49 EST Last modified on Tue 23 Jan 2018 11.57 EST
Republicans broke decades of precedent in redrawing Pennsylvania’s congressional map.
The Pennsylvania supreme court on Monday struck down the boundaries of the state’s 18 congressional districts, granting a major victory to plaintiffs who contended that they were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit Republicans.
Republicans who controlled the legislature and governor’s office following the 2010 census broke decades of geographical precedent when redrawing the map, producing contorted shapes including one that critics said resembled “Goofy kicking Donald Duckâ€.
They shifted whole counties and cities into different districts in an effort to protect a Republican advantage in the congressional delegation. They succeeded, securing 13 of 18 seats in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans five to four.
The Democratic-controlled court said the boundaries “clearly, plainly and palpably†violated the state’s constitution, and blocked the map from remaining in effect for the 2018 elections. The deadline to file paperwork to run in primaries for the seats is 6 March.
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/22/pennsylvania-republicans-congressional-maps-supreme-court (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/22/pennsylvania-republicans-congressional-maps-supreme-court)
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Constitution clearly states that state legislatures draw districts. GOP should be able to take this to federal court no problem.
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Constitution clearly states that state legislatures draw districts. GOP should be able to take this to federal court no problem.
The GOP took it to court and they laughed their asses off at it. The map they drew is an insane shitshow. The lines are so bad that in some cases the district is held together by a residence. As of today, the court provided map is what will be used and it is going to add some Rat House members to the Philthy and Pitt areas.
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The GOP took it to court and they laughed their asses off at it. The map they drew is an insane shitshow. The lines are so bad that in some cases the district is held together by a residence. As of today, the court provided map is what will be used and it is going to add some Rat House members to the Philthy and Pitt areas.
As I said....@Jazzhead is a proud little boy Shitshow today!
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Here's what I presume to be the court-drawn map:
(http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/wpvi/images/cms/3109328_800x450.jpg)
It has "district lines" that look realistic [unlike some of the previously-gerrymandered districts the Pubbies had created earlier), although the democrat-communist-dominated court may have tweaked some of those lines to favor the democrat-communists.
The Republican legislature should tell the state supreme court "thanks, but no thanks".
And then, adjust the above map slightly to better reflect "Republican-weighting" of the districts. (After all, they won the legislature and the legislature DOES have the right to re-draw Congressional districts). Make it LOOK reasonable.
Don't mangle the above map too much -- just make some modest changes that will still produce a map with district lines that "make sense" (as the above one does).
Only -- tip the "sense" towards the Republican lines!
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I'm out of monthly WaPo views
Clear your browser history, rinse and repeat as necessary.
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Fortunately the Penn SC just discovered a previously unknown clause in the State Constitution that assigns THEM the task of drawing Congressional boundaries. I'll bet counselor @Jazzhead is proud of his state tonight.
Not me. Courts have no business redrawing Congressional districts. The process is inherently political and the province of the legislature, not the courts. This is dangerous, dangerous precedent.
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Not me. Courts have no business redrawing Congressional districts. The process is inherently political and the province of the legislature, not the courts. This is dangerous, dangerous precedent.
Agreed. In trying to make it "non-political" they politicized it.
(I wasn't trying to be a snot when I pinged you, I really wanted to know what you think because you have skin in this game.)
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The GOP took it to court and they laughed their asses off at it. The map they drew is an insane shitshow. The lines are so bad that in some cases the district is held together by a residence. As of today, the court provided map is what will be used and it is going to add some Rat House members to the Philthy and Pitt areas.
@Frank Cannon
Since when do courts get to draw election maps?
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@Frank Cannon
Since when do courts get to draw election maps?
@Bigun
Since now apparently...
New Pennsylvania map gives Democrats big boost in midterms
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pennsylvania-redistrict-democrats-midterms-354432 (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pennsylvania-redistrict-democrats-midterms-354432)
Democrats’ hopes of winning the House this fall got a boost Monday with the release of a new congressional-district map in Pennsylvania that could help the party pick up several seats in the battleground state.
Under the previous map, drawn by a Republican Legislature in 2011 and approved by the then-Republican governor, Republicans won 13 of the state's 18 congressional districts in 2016, when President Donald Trump carried 12 of the 18 districts.
But early estimates of the new, court-drawn map suggest there are now 10 Trump seats — opening the door for Democrats to inch closer to the House majority when voters go to the polls this November. The extra Democratic-leaning seats are primarily in the Philadelphia suburbs.
“This is pretty close to a Democratic wet dream,†Christopher Nicholas, a Republican consultant based in Pennsylvania, said of the new map.
Republican legislative leaders are expected to appeal the court-drawn map. State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and state House Speaker Mike Turzai said they "anticipate further action in federal court" in a statement released Monday evening.
“Implementation of this map would create a constitutional crisis where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is usurping the authority of the Legislative and Executive branches," Scarnati and Turzai's statement says. "This map illustrates that the definition of fair is simply code for a desire to elect more Democrats.â€
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"This map illustrates that the definition of fair is simply code for a desire to elect more Democrats.â€
This is absolutely the truth.
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@Bigun
Since now apparently...
New Pennsylvania map gives Democrats big boost in midterms
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pennsylvania-redistrict-democrats-midterms-354432 (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pennsylvania-redistrict-democrats-midterms-354432)
@Frank Cannon
I hope the legislature is planning to take strong exception to that!