HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Latest on Pennsylvania’s congressional gerrymandering case (all times local):
11:55 p.m.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is submitting a map he’s proposing to redraw Pennsylvania’s congressional districts, releasing it minutes before the court-ordered midnight deadline in a high-stakes gerrymandering case.
Wolf’s map submitted Thursday night was the seventh such submission, coming after filings by the Democratic voters who successfully sued to throw out Pennsylvania’s congressional districts, as well as state lawmakers and Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Stack.
Key differences include how many times Montgomery County is split up, which counties are packaged with the city of Reading (REH’-ding) and whether incumbent congressmen are kept in their districts.
The state Supreme Court has given itself four days to consider the proposals and issue new boundaries. Republican lawmakers say they’ll likely ask a federal court to block any boundaries the state Supreme Court imposes.
___
9:30 p.m.
Plaintiffs in the successful court case to throw out Pennsylvania’s congressional districts as unconstitutionally gerrymandered are submitting two different suggestions to redraw the districts.
The group of registered Democratic voters filed ahead of Thursday night’s court-ordered deadline. A proposal also is expected by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. The state Supreme Court has posted filings by five other parties, including state lawmakers and Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Stack.
Key differences include how many times Montgomery County is split up, which counties are packaged with the city of Reading (REH’-ding) and whether incumbent congressmen are kept in their districts.
The court has given itself four more days to consider the proposals and issue new boundaries. Republican lawmakers say they’ll likely ask a federal court to block any map the state Supreme Court produces.
___
6:20 p.m.
Competing proposals to redraw Pennsylvania’s congressional districts in a high-stakes gerrymandering case are rolling in ahead of a court-ordered deadline.
The state Supreme Court posted four more proposals online as of Thursday evening, one each from House Democrats, Senate Democrats, Republican activists and Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Stack. That makes five total, including one submitted last week by Republican lawmakers.
Midnight Thursday is the deadline and proposals also are expected from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Democratic voters who sued successfully to invalidate Pennsylvania’s congressional district boundaries.
The court has given itself four more days to consider the proposals and issue new boundaries.
Republican lawmakers are threatening to file a federal court challenge to any map the state Supreme Court may produce.
___
3 p.m.
Pennsylvania’s House Democrats are the second political party to submit a proposed redraw of the state’s congressional district boundaries in a high-stakes gerrymandering case.
Thursday is deadline day for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and others to submit maps of new boundaries that they want the state’s Supreme Court to adopt.
The midnight deadline gives justices four more days to meet their own deadline to impose new boundaries for the May 15 primary election. A redrawn Pennsylvania map could help Democrats pick up seats in the U.S. House. Republicans control 13 of 18 Pennsylvania seats.
The Democratic-majority court last month threw out a Pennsylvania congressional map widely viewed as among the nation’s most gerrymandered.
Republican lawmakers submitted a map last week and are threatening to challenge in federal court any map the state Supreme Court may produce.
___
7 a.m.
It’s deadline day in Pennsylvania’s gerrymandering case for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and others to submit maps of new congressional district boundaries that they want the state’s Supreme Court to adopt.
Thursday’s midnight deadline gives justices four more days to impose new boundaries, just three months before Pennsylvania’s primary elections.
A redrawn Pennsylvania map could help Democrats pick up seats in the U.S. House and dramatically change the state’s predominantly Republican, all-male delegation. Republicans control 13 of 18 Pennsylvania seats.
The Democratic-majority court threw out Pennsylvania’s congressional map last month, saying it violated the state constitution. The map was widely viewed as among the nation’s most gerrymandered with contorted districts designed by Republicans to get Republicans elected.
Republicans are threatening to challenge the court’s map in federal court.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.