GOP/SUPREME COURT/VOTING: “Two top Pennsylvania state senators and eight of the state’s GOP members of Congress filed a federal lawsuit Thursday [2-2-18] in a bid to block a new congressional map imposed by the state’s high court.
The move comes a day after Pennsylvania Republicans filed a new emergency appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court. A similar emergency appeal failed earlier this month when it was turned down by Justice Samuel Alito.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last month invalidated the congressional districts drawn by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2011, ruling the map was an unlawful partisan gerrymander aimed at maximizing the electoral success of Republican candidates.
The court’s majority based its ruling on the state’s Constitution, giving federal judges little room to intervene…
The plaintiffs in Thursday’s lawsuit, who include state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, argue the state court violated the Elections Clause of the federal Constitution. They want the federal court to bar state election officials from implementing the new map and to compel them to carry out the May 15 primary using the current districts…
A spokeswoman for Pennsylvania’s Department of State said that state officials were focused on implementing the court-ordered map.”
-Scott Calvert, “GOP Lawmakers Sue to Block New Congressional Map in Pennsylvania,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 22, 2018 07:21pm