Pa. High Court Finally Explains Gerrymandering Decision

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Feb. 7 explained its January decision holding the congressional district map adopted by the state legislature in 2011 unconstitutional.

The map is a partisan gerrymander that dilutes the votes of individuals in violation of the free and equal election clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the opinion by Judge Debra McClosky Todd said.

The legislature now has until Feb. 15 to submit a new map before the court drafts one itself, the court said in its Jan. 22 order. That new map could give Democrats an edge in the 2018 mid-term election as they seek to ...