dagblog - Comments for "Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court just gave Democrats a big win on redistricting"

Republican challenge to

artappraiser — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 07:07:34 +0000

Republican challenge to Pennsylvania (court's) map (above) likely to fail

For Republicans, it’s not clear yet what legal avenue they plan to proceed with first, or the relief for which they will ask.

@ Politico.com, 02/20/2018 07:30 PM EST

HARRISBURG, Pa. (@AP) —

artappraiser — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 04:19:16 +0000

In reply to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court just gave Democrats a big win on redistricting

HARRISBURG, Pa. (@AP) — Pennsylvania court issues new congressional district map for 2018 elections; map almost certain to face GOP challenge. pic.twitter.com/u1PGvLz0i7
— Marc Levy (@timelywriter) February 19, 2018

looks like a backup plan

artappraiser — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 05:27:20 +0000

In reply to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court just gave Democrats a big win on redistricting

looks like a backup plan should the Supremes get tough on gerrymandering:

Potential citizenship question in 2020 Census could shift power to rural America

By Michael Scherer @ WashingtonPost.com, Jan. 24

A request by the Justice Department to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census could shift the nation’s balance of political power from cities to more rural communities over the next decade and give Republicans a new advantage drawing electoral boundaries.

Population numbers produced by the census are used in many ways, notably to draw political districts and distribute government funds across the country. Adding questions to the decennial survey is usually a controversial and difficult process because of the potential to affect both of those functions — either by suppressing census participation or by creating new ways to define populations.

All of it has prompted advocates for Hispanic communities to accuse the Justice Department of wanting to produce a less accurate count in 2020.

“I think the main motivation is to secure an undercount,” said Tom Saenz, the president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. “Texas is a very red state. They know that is not going to be the case for very much longer.” [.....]

What it means well explained:

artappraiser — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 01:00:45 +0000

In reply to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court just gave Democrats a big win on redistricting

What it means well explained:

But an appeal to the federal courts would very likely fail, election experts said, because decisions based solely on interpretations of state law — as this one appears to be — are generally beyond the reach of federal judges.

For the same reason, the state court’s decision has no direct bearing on a string of challenges to partisan gerrymanders that are already moving through the federal court system. Earlier this month, in fact, a divided panel of three federal judges left intact the same Pennsylvania House map that the state court threw out on Monday.

If the state court ruling stands and the map is redrawn, the consequences could be serious for Republicans, who are already battling national political headwinds in their effort to maintain control of the House in the midterm elections this fall.

from

Pennsylvania Congressional District Map Is Ruled Unconstitutional, the NYTimes report by Michael Wines and Trip Gabriel, Jan. 22