Hang on, there were a lot of moving parts to the gerrymandering case this week, but one thing is for sure-- the business of responding to the PA Supreme Court’s January 22 order to draw new Congressional districts is really taking all the political energy in the Capitol.

On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court declined to issue the stay in the PA Supreme Court’s order calling for the General Assembly to draw new Congressional districts requested by Senate and House Republicans.

Friday was the PA Supreme Court imposed deadline for the General Assembly to submit a Congressional redistricting plan to Gov. Wolf for his review.  The Senate passed an empty legislative vehicle, but the full House never took up the bill.  Both adjourned Tuesday and left town ahead of a snow storm and the Eagles victory parade Thursday.

Instead, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) and House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) late Friday submitted a letter to Gov. Wolf containing the new Congressional districts map.

In a joint statement, Sen. Scarnati and Rep. Turzai said, “The Republican Legislative Leaders in the House and Senate have agreed to a Congressional District Map that complies fully with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s order and opinion.  We will be submitting our map to the Governor this evening.”

Sen. Scarnati and Rep. Turzai may follow up their letter by having the House and Senate come back to session Monday and Tuesday to formally vote on the plan, but that is not confirmed.

The map was submitted to the Governor and a spokesman for Gov. Wolf said he would review it, noting, however, the Court’s order did not appear to allow for two individuals to draw a map on behalf of the entire General Assembly.

Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny) and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) sent a letter to Gov. Wolf asking him to reject the map outright as a violation of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's remedy for the legislature to pass a map on to the governor through the normal legislative process.

If the Governor accepts the plan, he has until February 15 to submit it to the Court.

If no plan is approved by the Governor, the Court said they will draw the map based on the evidentiary record.

The PA Supreme Court Wednesday finally released its opinion to back up its January 22 order to the General Assembly to redraw the Congressional district maps.

The 139-page opinion says the 2011 Congressional map violates Article I, Section 5-- the Free and Equal Elections Clause-- of the Pennsylvania Constitution and cited both statistical analysis and evidence from key Republican leaders showing they did a political analysis of the districts down to the precinct level when they were drawing the districts.

As a side note on this issue, one of the most conservative members of the House has announced his intent to introduce resolutions to impeach the five PA Supreme Court justices responsible for declaring the Congressional districts unconstitutional.

It is not clear at all where all the pieces of this will land. Click Here for more.

(Maps: Top is new Congressional districts, bottom is existing districts.)

NewsClips:

AP-Scolforo, Levy: Democrats See Partisanship In Republican Voting Districts Map

Republican Congressional Map See As Negotiations’ Starting Point

Erie Lawmakers Praise, Pan New Congressional District Map

New Congressional District Map Could Change Political Landscape

AP: House, Senate Republican Leaders Unveil Revised Gerrymandered District Map

Thompson: Republican Legislative Leaders Submit New Congressional Map

Esack/Olson: Republican Lawmakers Send New Congressional Map To Wolf, Cuts Out Some Candidates

[Posted: Feb. 9, 2018]

2/12/2018