The LuLac Edition #3701, January 23rd, 2018

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

The current district BROWN is the 10th, Marino, the 11th is Barletta in YELLOW and the 17th is Cartwright in GREEN.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, by a vote of 4 to 3 threw out the current redistricting plan that has been in place since 2012. Now this will only affect Congressional Districts. The Court struck down the boundaries of the state’s 18 congressional districts, saying they violate the state constitution and granting a major victory to a group of Democratic voters who argued the districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit Republicans.
You can bet the Republican right wing loudmouths will say, like puny Pat Toomey, that the Courts should stay out of the elections. Oh wait, puny Pat, like the Supreme Court did in the 2000 election?
Elections do matter and in those off year elections in odd numbered years, you know those Judges we pick and choose blindly? Remember those names we don’t know and sometimes just pick one from the east, one from the west and some jasper from the middle? They are the Court member who make this decisions. Elections, ALL of them, MATTER!
The Democratic-controlled court issued a brief order giving the Republican-controlled Legislature until Feb. 9 to pass a replacement and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf until Feb. 15 to submit it to the court. Otherwise, the justices said they will adopt a plan in an effort to keep the May 15 primary election on track.
The court said the boundaries “clearly, plainly and palpably” violate the state’s constitution, and blocked it from remaining in effect for the 2018 elections. The deadline to file paperwork to run in primaries for the seats is March 6.
Republicans who controlled the Legislature and governor’s office following the 2010 census broke decades of geographical precedent when redrawing the map, producing contorted shapes, including one dubbed “Goofy kicking Donald Duck.”
Districts have always been re-drawn by those in power. But in Pennsylvania, the GOP has had an incredible run. The Governor in office in a census year gets to pick the committee that draws the districts.
From 1980 through 2010, the Republicans controlled the Redistricting. Being typical Republicans, in 2010, they forgot that Democrats controlled the redistricting in 1960 and 1970. It was not divine right that they got to do this. So they jumped the shark. They got greedy. Plus the stupid bastards bragged about their plan.
So now the Court has struck it down ordering that the Governor and the Legislature must come up with a plan. This from two opposites that could never decide on a budget. The saving grace is if they can’t come up with a plan, the Courts will.
My money is on the Court to come up with a better plan. How does it affect us locally?
Well the 10th which used to have the City of Scranton just might get it back. The 11th might be trimmed from the outlying areas of Harrisburg to make it more compact. The 17th just might morph into one of those.
Republican candidates are standing pat and hoping for the best. But Democratic aspirants who have been staying out of this just might get in. That would increase the competition but also make the General more of a nail biter.
Bottom line for The Lu and The Lac is that once upon a time, like for 70 years, both Wilkes Barre and Scranton had their own Congressman. It’s early but don’t be surprised if that happens again.
Finally don’t expect the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved in this because so far it has shown no inclination weighing in on whether redistricting can be so partisan that it violates the U.S. Constitution, in cases from Maryland and Wisconsin. The high court has never struck down an electoral map as a partisan gerrymander.
More to come. (LuLac, NY Daily News)

MEMBERS OF PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN DELEGATION ISSUE STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO

PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT RULING ON STATE’S CONGRESSIONAL MAP

Members of the Pennsylvania Republican Congressional Delegation issued the following statement in response to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ruling Monday on the state’s congressional map:
“Yesterday’s misguided decision by the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court is an unfortunate example of the judicial branch inserting itself into the core functions of the legislative branch. Today’s Congressional maps were drafted and approved by both Republicans and Democrats. It also comes on the eve of a midterm election. An orderly electoral process is an essential function of our Democracy.”
Yeah well guys, now you might have to work for all of your constituents, not just those in the Country Clubs! 

The following Members of Congress have signed the statement: U.S. Representatives Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-05), Mike Kelly (PA-03), Scott Perry (PA-04), Ryan Costello (PA-06), Patrick Meehan (PA-07), Bill Shuster (PA-09), Tom Marino (PA-10), Keith Rothfus (PA-12), Charlie Dent (PA-15), and Lloyd Smucker (PA-1). (State GOP office).