The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on February 23 chose a map for the state's 17 congressional districts that represents the "least change" from th 2017 map the court drew when the LWVPA successfully sued over the Legislature's 2011 gerrymandering.
The Supreme Court overruled a Commonwealth Court judge who had chosen the legislative Republicans' map that was very favorable to Republicans. The top court chose a different map, the "Carter map," which was submitted by Democratic voters.
According to our sister organization, Fair Districts PA, the new map is a good choice. It balances key metrics, has low partisan bias and only 2 maps (of the 13 under consideration) do better on providing minority opportunity.
The Carter map was closest to the 2018 map provided by the court in response to the LWVPA redistricting lawsuit. Some districts remain almost unchanged. Only two (Repubican) incumbents are in the same district, in CD 15 in north-central PA, a region that saw significant population loss.
The courts had to step in when the state Legislature adopted a map that was vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf. The Carter map has a small pro-Republican bias, as was the case for all but one of the maps submitted, according to Fair Districts. But it falls very near the center of the gray “balanced” zone, with less bias than most of the maps submitted by citizen groups and far less bias than the map passed and submitted by Republican legislators.
Because the map was chosen by the state Supreme Court, there can be no further appeal and it is the one that will be used to elect nominees in the May 17 Primary Election and candidates in the November General Election. The court also ruled that candidates for congressional, gubernatorial and other statewide offices may start collecting signatures on nominating petitions Feb. 25.
In our own area, the 5th Congressional District, currently occupied by Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon, remains almost exactly the same, except for the addition of the King of Prussia and Norristown areas. The rest of the district mirrors the current district. It is made up of all of Delaware County, a continguous section of Southeast Philadelphia by the Airport, and a sliver of Montgomery County that borders on Delaware County.
For more information about the new map, click on these articles: