PENNSYLVANIA SENATE APPROVES JUDICIAL GERRYMANDERING BILL
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Senate approved a constitutional amendment that would give the Republican-led legislature the power to draw election districts for the state’s appellate courts. The amendment is the latest attempt by Republicans to change the state supreme court, which includes a Democratic majority.
The amendment drew opposition from every Democratic senator, as well as two Republicans. Democratic Senator Katie Muth said it “undermines our democracy” and “disenfranchises voters.”
Republican supporters argue that most appellate judges are from the Philadelphia or Pittsburgh areas, and the bill would ensure geographic diversity. Sen. Judy Ward said the amendment is about “fairness for rural parts of the state to get a fair shake.”
The high court recently threw out a lawsuit by Republican legislators challenging Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) pandemic-related executive orders. Sen. Ryan Aument, the lead sponsor of the amendment, tied this week’s vote to the court’s decision to uphold Wolf’s orders.
In 2018, after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down gerrymandered districts for Congressional elections, Republicans introduced articles of impeachment against the justices who ruled against them.
Marc Stier of the progressive Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center warned, “This proposal would give legislators enormous power over the political makeup of the Supreme Court and other appellate courts. And, in some cases, it would allow them to target particular justices for reprisal.”
Suzanne Almeida of Common Cause PA said, “The role of the judiciary is to decide cases based on the law and the facts in front of them – not to provide political representation for Pennsylvanians in a specific region.”
https://thesupremecourts.org/2020/07/16/pennsylvania-senate-approves-judicial-gerrymandering-bill/
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