Shown is a general view of the Pennsylvania Judicial Center, home to the Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg, Pa., on Nov. 6, 2020. A lawsuit that could result in drastic changes to how Pennsylvania funds public education goes to trial Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in a Harrisburg courtroom, seven years after a handful of the state’s districts first went to court to challenge a system they consider unfair.
Julio Cortez / AP Photo
Julio Cortez / AP Photo
Shown is a general view of the Pennsylvania Judicial Center, home to the Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg, Pa., on Nov. 6, 2020. A lawsuit that could result in drastic changes to how Pennsylvania funds public education goes to trial Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in a Harrisburg courtroom, seven years after a handful of the state’s districts first went to court to challenge a system they consider unfair.
(Harrisburg) — Pennsylvania’s highest court signaled Monday that it may get involved in the process of redrawing Pennsylvania’s congressional districts boundaries, as the state runs up against the primary schedule to adjust the boundaries to account for a decade of demographic shifts.
The state Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision, put a hold on a lower court’s consideration of proposals for a new map and said it would hear arguments on whether to exercise its authority over the process.
Democrats had asked the court to exercise its “extraordinary jurisdiction” in the matter.
A Commonwealth Court judge, Patricia McCullough, has held three days of hearings on competing proposals for new district boundaries submitted to the court after Gov. Tom Wolf and lawmakers deadlocked.
More than a dozen were submitted by Republican lawmakers, Democratic lawmakers, Wolf, partisan groups and good-government groups.
However, Democrats had argued that McCullough — a Republican — should not issue an order adopting a particular map that she selects.
Rather, they said she should merely provide a recommendation to the state Supreme Court of a map to adopt.
In 1992, when lawmakers deadlocked, the state Supreme Court named a Commonwealth Court judge to be a “special master” who then held hearings and provided a recommendation to the high court.
A 5-2 Democratic majority sits on the state Supreme Court.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
