Redistricting plan upheld by Pa. Supreme Court

    After more than a year of legal challenges, Pennsylvania has new district lines for the House and Senate.

    The state Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to uphold the state legislature’s second stab at drawing new districts.

     

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    The maps were challenged by several groups–among them, a piano teacher and self-styled redistricting savant who drew her own maps to show there was a better way.  

    That argument worked the first time around, more than a year ago, when the court rejected the legislature’s maps for having districts that divided too many towns and counties.

    But the court says potential problems with redistricting 2.0 are “not nearly as dramatic” and notes mapmakers had to juggle several constitutional requirements.

    It also didn’t hold political considerations against the redistricting panel, says one of its members, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi.

    “It recognizes and explicitly says that politics is a part of this process, and there’s nothing constitutionally objectionable about that,” said Pileggi.

    The court-approved district lines will be in effect in 2014.

    Last decade’s district lines had to be used for the 2012 election because this matter was still tied up in court.

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