Pennsylvania Supreme Court issues new election map

Fox News ^ | 19 February 2018 | AP

[napscoordinator]

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania's high court issued a new congressional district map for the state's 2018 elections on its self-imposed deadline Monday, all but ensuring that Democratic prospects will improve in several seats and that Republican lawmakers challenge it in federal court. The map of Pennsylvania's 18 congressional districts is to be in effect for the May 15 primary and substantially overhauls a congressional map widely viewed as among the nation's most gerrymandered. The map was approved in a 4-3 decision. Most significantly, the new map likely gives Democrats a better shot at winning seats in Philadelphia's heavily populated and moderate suburbs, where Republicans had held seats in bizarrely contorted districts, including one labeled "Goofy Kicking Donald Duck."

[metmom]

I need to learn to not eat or drink while reading FR.

[metmom]

That map is election fixing, plain and simple.

[FredZarguna]

Yeah, it was a strawman "challenge" to the National Firearms Act of 1934 that was set-up to allow Roosevelt's SCOTUS to find the regulation of firearms Constitutional.

It was 1939. Don't know why I typed 1958.

[FredZarguna]

And also, thanks.

[FredZarguna]

1) State College is not University Park.
2) University Park has about 30,000 undergrads. Most don't vote in University Park, and although the three student precincts are heavily Democratic, it's doesn't skew Centre County nearly as much as the Faculty and Staff living in State College.
3) Centre County is about 50/50. It went blue in the last Presidential, but usually goes red in local races, midterms, and off-year elections.

[Bobalu]

To be perfectly honest, convoluted election maps are drawn to allow for the election of black candidates...or to eliminate that possibility.

Consider this, if not for legalized abortion and the lobbying of the loathsome, Planned Parenthood, then Congress would be absolutely loaded with black legislators.

Although I would not consider this a good thing, As I believe the best man should be elected, be they black or whatever.

My hatred for abortion FAR outweighs my desire that the best politician win. My moral compass cannot point in any other direction.

If no black babies would have ever been aborted (murdered) then Obama would NOT have been the first black president.

Every FReeper, in their most secret heart, would wrestle with this matter, and IMO, the great majority would come down on the same side as I have!

I have great faith in the moral rectitude of Freepers.

[dp0622]

FM, if enough states do this, what do you think will happen?

[smileyface]

not happy about this.

[Kay Ludlow]

42,000 undergrads, 12,000 or so grad students, plus all the adjunct professors they bring in each semester.

Enrollment started to grow quickly as soon as Spanier was out. Didn’t you hear about the ‘accidental’ over-enrollment of about 1,000, I think the 2nd year Spanier was gone? Oops, but it made the new base. They are aiming for 300-400 additional freshmen each year... And that's a cumulative addition.

[2nd amendment mama]

Just couldn’t resist...LOL :^)

[Eleutheria5]

Still, there’s the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment, so if they are making crazy-quilt districts in order to disenfranchise one group in favor of another, there is a constitutional issue.

[zeugma]

In the end, if elected represenatives are incapable of drawing a coherent map because it conflicts with their own interests then who should remediate the issue?

In any case a there should be no bulges or boots, the lines should be relatively smooth and the similar interests of the people located therein should be the driving force.

These days, the population should be fed to a computer program, and it should spit out a map that was completely reproducible by anyone with a computer. Districts would be as near as square as possible, with perhaps a slight bias towards city or county boundary lines. It shouldn't consider race or political affiliation.

Naturally, any such map that is demonstrably unbiased would be immediately challenged by democrat partisans.

[zeugma]

(Notable exception - when the Democrats gerrymandered Denis Kucinich out of his Ohio congressional seat because he represented his voters, and not the party establishment. )

Same happened to Allen West

[caww]

Reposting....

....”Neither the Pennsylvania Constitution nor the Federal Constitution gives any entity other than the state legislature the authority to draw the map”.....

[Biggirl]

And do not forget Pittsburgh.

[alstewartfan]

Frankly, you are naive! If Democrats gerrymandered, no court would ever touch it. What gives these bastards the right to impose their wills upon the people’s representatives in the legislature? As once stated, this is RAW JUDICIAL POWER. Lawlessness prevails.

[napscoordinator]

Watch Maryland. You’ll find out it’s not just going after republicans.

[fieldmarshaldj]

What will and what should are two different things. We need to break out a rope and start hanging black robed tyrants.

[WayneS]

It is the job of the courts to determine whether or not the action(s) of the legislature are legal/constitutional. It is not the job of the courts to do the job of the legislature.

The supreme court told Washington, DC, that their gun laws were unconstitutional. The supreme court did not rewrite the gun laws of Washington DC.

[alstewartfan]

I don’t believe it for one second. First, the court has NO authority. Second, if Democrats had skewed the districts, the vote would have been 7-0 to leave them in place. Just like the Fl. “judges” would have voted 7-0 AGAINST Bush were HE behind instead of Gore.