Supreme Court refuses to stop new congressional maps in Pennsylvania [View all]

Source: Washington Post

The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a request from Pennsylvania Republican legislative leaders to block the implementation of a redrawn congressional map that creates more parity between the political parties in the state.

It was the second time that the court declined to get involved in the partisan battle that has roiled Pennsylvania politics. The commonwealths highest court earlier this year ruled that a map drawn by the Republicans leaders in 2011 clearly, plainly and palpably violated the Free and Equal Elections Clause of the Pennsylvania constitution.

The U.S. Supreme Court deliberated nearly two weeks before turning down the request to stop the map from being used in this falls elections. Generally the justices stay out of the way when a states highest court is interpreting its own state constitution.

The practical impact is the 2018 elections are likely to be held under a map much more favorable to Democrats, who scored a surprising victory last week in a special election. The 2011 map that has been used this decade has resulted in Republicans consistently winning 13 of the states 18 congressional seats.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-refuses-to-stop-new-congressional-maps-in-pennsylvania/2018/03/19/128d9656-215e-11e8-badd-7c9f29a55815_story.html

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Edit to add this was the 2nd ruling today. A separate GOP case was just thrown out by a 3-judge panel of federal judges too.