Republicans Beg Supreme Court To Let Them Keep Using An Unconstitutional Map “There is no need to hurry” to redraw those congressional districts, they said. Republicans from Pennsylvania and six other states on Monday offered a slew of reasons why the U.S. Supreme Court should give the Keystone State permission not to comply with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s order to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2018 election. Their briefs were part of a long-shot Republican effort to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to review the state court’s ruling that Pennsylvania’s latest congressional map so egregiously benefited Republicans that it “clearly, plainly and palpably” violated the state constitution. While top GOP state lawmakers say that the high court can review the case because there are federal issues at stake, lawyers for the plaintiffs say that the justices cannot because the case only presents a question under Pennsylvania law. But first the state lawmakers and their allies need an emergency stay of the Pennsylvania court’s redistricting order, the pleas for which are hitting Justice Samuel Alito’s desk. Alito is responsible for overseeing such appeals from the 3rd Circuit. Six Republican secretaries of state ― from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina ― filed a joint amicus brief on Monday arguing that Pennsylvania could reasonably wait another few years to fix its congressional map. They said that Pennsylvania lawmakers could abide by any new restrictions on partisan gerrymandering during the next round of redistricting in 2021. That would mean that two more federal elections ― in 2018 and 2020 ― would take place under a congressional map that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found unconstitutional. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entr...2e5e4b05836a255cdc2?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
I always find it amusing when democrats object to federal courts getting involved in state election matters. There is a long list of issues where they demanded federal court assistance and got it from helpful activist judges. Now however, they are aghast that the Supreme Court would look into a ruling from political hack state judges obviously designed to benefit democrats.
19 days is plenty of time. Especially since the PA SC did not give them ANY guidance on how to draw the new maps. (sarcasm off). I think the SCOTUS just might find that a compelling reason to take a look at this.
They plan to drag this out to November? They pulled a SCOTUS blockade for a full year, wouldn't surprise me if they pulled it off.
They got the idea from Biden. From the Gray lady, even has a video.... Joe Biden Argued for Delaying Supreme Court Picks in 1992 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/...for-delaying-supreme-court-picks-in-1992.html
Just to catch everyone up with an update from North Carolina... Note that last week the Supreme Court issued a stay of a decision invaliding North Carolina’s congressional districting map. This means that the maps that the courts already agreed are illegally gerrymandered for partisan advantage will stay in place for our 2018 Congressional elections. Note that an earlier decision in 2017 tore down the Congressional district maps in North Carolina for racial gerrymandering. The Legislature (Republican majority) was ordered to re-draw the maps. The maps were re-drawn (basically the same) but the federal judges ruled that these maps were illegal due to bi-partisan gerrymandering (with the key legislator as a defendant having stated "I only drew these maps to give a 10-3 advantage since I couldn't figure out how to draw them to give a 11-2 Republican advantage" plus the map-maker testifying under oath that he strictly drew the maps for partisan gerrymandering. The court hired an independent mapmaker (professor) to re-drawn the gerrymandered maps. The Republicans did not like these updated maps. Last week the Republicans got a stay from the Supreme Court saying their illegally gerrymandered due to partisan advantage maps can stay in place for 2018. Less than 24 hours later several parties asked the Supreme Court to rule that they must use the maps re-drawn by the professor to remove the partisan advantage in some districts. That's the path which led us to this news story -- http://www.newsobserver.com/news/po...ns-blogs/under-the-dome/article196508439.html Seeing the actions the Supreme Court in regards to North Carolina gerrymandering IMO bodes poorly for any expectations for changes in Pennsylvania.