Pennsylvania high court strikes down voting district map

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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday threw out the state’s congressional map, declaring it unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit Republicans. Lawmakers redrew the map after the 2010 census, when Republicans controlled the legislature and governor’s office. The court ruled those boundaries “clearly, plainly, and palpably” violate the state’s constitution. It gave lawmakers until Feb. 9 to redraw the map and submit it to the court for review by Feb. 15. Candidates are facing a March 6 deadline to file for primaries. If lawmakers can’t come up with a solution, the court said it will adopt a plan for the 2018 elections. Lawyers defending the current map say they plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which already has similar cases from Maryland and Wisconsin on its docket.

Leigh Jones

Leigh is features editor for WORLD. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate who spent six years as a newspaper reporter in Texas before joining WORLD News Group. Leigh also co-wrote Infinite Monster: Courage, Hope, and Resurrection in the Face of One of America's Largest Hurricanes. She resides with her husband and daughter in Houston, Texas.