A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday invalidated a plan to redraw state House and Senate district lines, calling the redistricting approach “contrary to law.” The justices voted 4-3 to send the plan back to the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, and the majority said their opinion in the case, laying out the reasoning, would be released later. The high court’s ruling immediately threw into disarray plans by candidates and parties for this year’s General Assembly races.
The two-page order said current district lines will remain in force until the commission comes up with a new plan that passes legal muster. The commission consists of the Republican and Democratic floor leaders from the House and Senate, along with a fifth member, an appointed judge.
The plan the court threw out was opposed by Senate Democrats and others, who argued in a court session Monday that there was not sufficient reason to split some counties and towns, and that decisions were overly driven by political considerations.
Full Article: Pa. high court throws out assembly redistricting – herald-mail.com.