“Pennsylvania Could Be On The Verge Of Dealing Partisan Gerrymandering A Big Blow”

Sam Levine for HuffPo:

Pennsylvania’s highest court could be on the verge of setting unprecedented limits on how much politicians can redraw electoral districts to their party’s advantage, a decision that would have profound legal and political consequences both in the state and the rest of the country.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear oral argument on Wednesday in a case alleging the state’s 2011 congressional map, drawn by Republicans, violates protections on freedom of expression and equal protection in the state constitution.

Since 2012, Republicans have consistently been able to win 13 of the state’s 18 congressional seats, despite winning only about 50 percent of the statewide vote. The Brennan Center for Justice describes the state’s congressional map as one of the worst partisan gerrymanders in the country, and an analysis by The Associated Press found that the map was responsible for an additional three GOP seats in Congress.

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