Free Republic

Is impeachment an option for Pennsylvania state supreme court justices after their decision to redraw the state's congressional map? It at least deserves a "conversation," Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) suggested Wednesday.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican leaders of the Pennsylvania Legislature on Friday produced a new proposed map of the state's congressional districts, three weeks after the state Supreme Court declared the former map unconstitutional. The proposal drafted by House Speaker Mike Turzai and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati would make widespread changes, eliminating dozens of municipal and county divisions while keeping nearly 70 percent of residents in their old districts. They forwarded the map and other materials to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who has until Thursday to tell the justices if he supports it. If not, the court has...

There have been a lot of good candidates for the "gerrymander of the decade" award this cycle. North Carolina, Illinois and Texas have all dreamed up district lines that have gone... --snip-- Republicans in Pennsylvania, however, took a state that is two or three points more Democratic than the country as a whole, and created 12 districts (out of 18) that are more Republican than the country as a whole. They did so by creating what can only be called a group of Rorschach-inkblot districts in southeastern Pennsylvania. The net result is a map that shores up their vulnerable incumbents,...

Dems Release Their Own Congressional Map Democrats have strongly criticized the congressional map unveiled yesterday by Harrisburg Republicans. Well-grounded accusations of partisanship fill the air. So Senate Democrats have released their own version. The caucus will introduce the map below as an amendment to SB 1249 at some point Wednesday. Since Republicans have the Governor’s mansion and majorities in the Pa. House and Senate, it’s unlikely to go anywhere. But it’s interesting to look at.The full map is below. Bless them for including municipal breakdowns. It raises an interesting question: can Dems still complain about gerrymandering when their maps looks...

Republicans notched a major redistricting win on Tuesday with the unveiling of a Pennsylvania congressional map that deals a sharp blow to Democrats’ prospects in the state. The GOP-drawn plan, released by a state legislative redistricting panel, forces two Democrats into an incumbent vs. incumbent face-off for a southwestern Pennsylvania-based seat and shores up more than a half-dozen House Republicans.