Republican state lawmakers have moved forward in challenging the constitutionality of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s map of the US Congressional Districts in Pennsylvania.
Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and House Speaker Mike Turzai will ask the US Supreme Court to overturn the State Supreme Court’s ruling that replaced the Congressional District Map with a version that they drew, which drastically changes the districts and in the eyes of Republican lawmakers, gerrymanders the districts in favor of Democratic lawmakers. Turzai and Scarnati fought the ruling that the former map was unconstitutional in the past, and took it as far as the Supreme Court, but it was rejected by Justice Samuel Alito before it went before the full court. The argument may have more strength to it now as there is now a map in play.
A second federal lawsuit, unrelated to the one filed by Scarnati and Turzai, has been filed as well by national Republicans and other state lawmakers. No word yet if House Majority Leader and Congressional candidate Dave Reed is involved in the lawsuit. If either lawsuit is successful, it would delay the implementation of the new maps, which would leave voters and candidates not knowing how to proceed.
Reed had announced he would run for Congress, but under the PA Supreme Court’s map, Indiana County would be part of a 13-county mega-district, and he would be forced to run against Congressman Glen “GT” Thompson of Centre County, who is currently the congressman for Pennsylvania’s 5th District. Reed has said he would wait and see how things play out with the lawsuits before making a decision on whether he would continue his congressional campaign or alter his plans in any way.
