Pennsylvania governor rejects proposed congressional map News
Pennsylvania governor rejects proposed congressional map

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf [official website] on Tuesday told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that he rejects [letter] the new proposed congressional map submitted last week by House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) [official websites].

Wolf told [press release] the court that the proposed map still acts as a partisan gerrymander. Wolf based this response on an analysis [summary, PDF] by a team of experts led by Professor Moon Duchin [academic profile], Associate Professor of Mathematics at Tufts University.

Showing many similar partisan advantages for Republicans as seen in the 2011 map, Wolf maintains that the proposal does not comply with the court’s order [JURIST report] or Pennsylvania’s Constitution. Wolf stated, “partisan gerrymandering weakens citizen power, promotes gridlock and stifles meaningful reform.”

Turzai and Scarnati responded [tweet] to Wolf Tuesday, claiming the letter is absurd and that the map fits all criteria set out by the Supreme Court.

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