• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Pennsylvania Congressional District Map Is Ruled Unconstitutional

lurchadams

lurchadams

Zoom Warrior
Banned
Supporting Member
DP Veteran
Joined
Oct 30, 2016
Messages
31,842
Reaction score
15,818
Location
Seattle Area
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/us/pennsylvania-maps-congress.html

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania’s congressional district map is a partisan gerrymander that “clearly, plainly and palpably” violates the state’s Constitution, the State Supreme Court said on Monday, adding to a string of court decisions striking down political maps that unduly favor one political party.

The court banned the current map of the state’s 18 House districts from being used in this year’s primary and general elections, and ordered that a new map be submitted to the court by Feb. 15. But the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature, which approved the current map in 2011, has already said it would try to overturn such a decision in federal court. That would set up another legal battle over gerrymanders in a year already filled with them.

But an appeal to the federal courts would very likely fail, election experts said, because decisions based solely on interpretations of state law — as this one appears to be — are generally beyond the reach of federal judges.
Click to expand...

This is YUUUUUGE!

The beginning of the end of the GOP's efforts to override free and fair elections. Other states are sure to follow suit (pun intended)!
:cool:
 
Had to be said again
lets-not-start-sucking-each-others-dicks-just-yet.jpg
 
Redress said:
Gerrymandering is done by both parties and is not, and should not be a partisan issue.
Click to expand...
The gerrymandering by Republicans is the most blatant election rigging in this country, just look at the way the maps have been gerrymandered in Michigan and Virginia -- it's disgusting they have gotten away with this.

Trump was right, the elections are rigged, just the other way around.
 
MovingPictures said:
The gerrymandering by Republicans is the most blatant election rigging in this country, just look at the way the maps have been gerrymandered in Michigan and Virginia -- it's disgusting they have gotten away with this.

Trump was right, the elections are rigged, just the other way around.
Click to expand...
I have to agree with that. I have no doubt that both parties take advantage of redistricting, but REDMAP was a particularly corrupt way of going about it.
 
MovingPictures said:
The gerrymandering by Republicans is the most blatant election rigging in this country, just look at the way the maps have been gerrymandered in Michigan and Virginia -- it's disgusting they have gotten away with this.

Trump was right, the elections are rigged, just the other way around.
Click to expand...

The way the maps were drawn in Maryland and Illinois suggests that Democrats would have done it just as blatantly if they had done better after 2010.

Besides the fact that it’s just not true that Republicans are solely responsible, trying to turn it into a partisan issue also seems counterproductive for ending it. Admitting the Democrats would do it too might drum up support among Republicans who realize it could happen to them if Dems have a good 2020.
 
Good riddance to this pathetic map. Let nonpartisan committees draw maps and be done with it.

I think more Republican states do it than Democratic states. But bad maps such as Maryland's need to be fixed as well.
 
Anagram said:
The way the maps were drawn in Maryland and Illinois suggests that Democrats would have done it just as blatantly if they had done better after 2010.

Besides the fact that it’s just not true that Republicans are solely responsible, trying to turn it into a partisan issue also seems counterproductive for ending it. Admitting the Democrats would do it too might drum up support among Republicans who realize it could happen to them if Dems have a good 2020.
Click to expand...
If and when Democrats begin gerrymandering, I'll start calling them out for it.

But whether one wants to acknowledge it or not, there's one political party absolutely abusing district maps, and it's the GOP. If that offends some people because it's the truth, they're probably part of the problem anyways.
 
MovingPictures said:
If and when Democrats begin gerrymandering, I'll start calling them out for it.

But whether one wants to acknowledge it or not, there's one political party absolutely abusing district maps, and it's the GOP. If that offends some people because it's the truth, they're probably part of the problem anyways.
Click to expand...

If and when? They DO. Illinois and Maryland. Quit being a hack.
 
Redress said:
Gerrymandering is done by both parties and is not, and should not be a partisan issue.
Click to expand...

The degree to which the GOP has gerrymandered their districts is unprecedented. I do agree that neither side should do it. District boundaries should be drawn by nonpartisan agencies.
 
MovingPictures said:
If and when Democrats begin gerrymandering, I'll start calling them out for it.

But whether one wants to acknowledge it or not, there's one political party absolutely abusing district maps, and it's the GOP. If that offends some people because it's the truth, they're probably part of the problem anyways.
Click to expand...

Well they definitely did in Illinois and Maryland. Maryland is so bad that Republicans won in federal court and are having it decided by the SCOTUS. And they were the only states Democrats really could. After 2010 they held the state legislature and governorship in only 12 states.

Rhode Island, Delaware, Arkansas, Hawaii, Vermont, and West Virginia are too small to gerrymander effectively.

Connecticut and Massachusetts already had all Democratic representatives and fairly evenly distributed Democrats. No real need to gerrymander since it's hard to draw Republican districts.

California and Washington both have independent redistricting commissions.

That leaves Maryland and Illinois as the two states where it was possible.
 
lurchadams said:
The degree to which the GOP has gerrymandered their districts is unprecedented. I do agree that neither side should do it. District boundaries should be drawn by nonpartisan agencies.
Click to expand...

I think it's unprecedented only do the scale to which they were able to do it, winning so many legislatures and governorships in 2010. In terms of the actual districts, there have been some pretty bad ones in history, and I don't think any individually gerrymandered state is worse than the Maryland one by the Democrats. Not that some of them are any better either.
 
MovingPictures said:
The gerrymandering by Republicans is the most blatant election rigging in this country, just look at the way the maps have been gerrymandered in Michigan and Virginia -- it's disgusting they have gotten away with this.

Trump was right, the elections are rigged, just the other way around.
Click to expand...

What about when it's done by Democrats? Maryland is gerrymandered to the extreme to protect them. Heck the past governor admitted they did it and the state legislature won't budge or try to fix it.
 
digsbe said:
What about when it's done by Democrats? Maryland is gerrymandered to the extreme to protect them. Heck the past governor admitted they did it and the state legislature won't budge or try to fix it.
Click to expand...

For every Maryland, there are a dozen GOP states ...
 
NIMBY said:
For every Maryland, there are a dozen GOP states ...
Click to expand...

Must be sheer coincidence that Democrats lost multiple states after passage of the Affordable Care Act.
 
OpportunityCost said:
Must be sheer coincidence that Democrats lost multiple states after passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Click to expand...

ACA is not the topic here.
All you have to do is search all 428 CDs to see their unique octopus shapes, especially in Pennsylvania, the topic of the OP.
Try REDMAP 2010 to learn how your GOP did it ...
 
Im still not tracking on how this is supposed to be dealt with......NC was found to be unconstitutional, but SCOTUS blocked redrawing of the maps for now....will the same apply across the board until someone figures this mess out?
 
NIMBY said:
For every Maryland, there are a dozen GOP states ...
Click to expand...

So the does that excuse things? Guess it's ok since the GOP won in waves when Obama was president?
 
Anagram said:
Well they definitely did in Illinois and Maryland. Maryland is so bad that Republicans won in federal court and are having it decided by the SCOTUS. And they were the only states Democrats really could. After 2010 they held the state legislature and governorship in only 12 states.

Rhode Island, Delaware, Arkansas, Hawaii, Vermont, and West Virginia are too small to gerrymander effectively.

Connecticut and Massachusetts already had all Democratic representatives and fairly evenly distributed Democrats. No real need to gerrymander since it's hard to draw Republican districts.

California and Washington both have independent redistricting commissions.

That leaves Maryland and Illinois as the two states where it was possible.
Click to expand...

Texas maps have been in court since 1990; but let's divert from Pennsylvania, the topic, to look at the DEMs.
North Carolina maps tossed; same MO by GOPs to divert to the DEMs;
Pennsylvania maps tossed; head to Maryland; Georgia maps tossed this decade; move on to Illinois;
Wisconsin maps still in court, crickets; maps in Ohio could be the worst.

Jones won ONE congressional district in Alabama out of 7 and still won the state; that's how bad Alabama maps are.
You're well aware of how bad your own maps are in Missouri. TN, KY, SC--all a joke.
Florida maps redrawn this decade--lots of work for data-miners recalculating POTUS vote by CD ...
 
digsbe said:
So the does that excuse things? Guess it's ok since the GOP won in waves when Obama was president?
Click to expand...

But ... Obama ... has nothing to do with the OP of bastardized Pennsylvania maps being thrown out by their State Supreme Court.
Unless State's Rights no longer matter to you ...
 
ludin said:
you mean both parties. :doh
both parties do the same thing.

you see this ruling would apply to democrats as well.
Click to expand...

3 to 1 advantage of gerrymandered House seats for gops is false-eqyuivalence in their minds ...
 
NIMBY said:
3 to 1 advantage of gerrymandered House seats for gops is false-eqyuivalence in their minds ...
Click to expand...

when democrats have control then they do it as well.
it has been going on for a while by both sides and only partisans refuse to admit it.
 
ludin said:
when democrats have control then they do it as well.
it has been going on for a while by both sides and only partisans refuse to admit it.
Click to expand...

So lets all agree to put an end to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom