Pennsylvania’s Constitutional Crisis

By Frank Ryan February 19, 2018

In a repeat of the state’s extraordinary role in the 2016 presidential election, this year Pennsylvania will be the center of a serious constitutional challenge. At stake may be the entire congressional balance of power between Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats in PA are attempting to do through the courts what they were not able to do at the ballot box.

They are assuming that the woes of their cause are due to redistricting, not to failed policies repudiated by the electorate. Trump’s stunning statewide victory in Pennsylvania in 2016 had absolutely nothing to do with gerrymandering.

As background, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 2018 ruled that the 2012 redistricting of Pennsylvania’s congressional districts was unconstitutional. The Court gave the legislature until February 9 to submit a plan of redistricting to the governor for approval. The governor would then have until February 15 to accept or reject the map.

The governor has rejected the map, and in its decision the Supreme Court reserved the right to draw the boundaries of redistricting on its own accord or to select one of many competing plans .......As soon as the Supreme Court intercedes and adopts a new map, a constitutional crisis immediately ensues. Seldom in our nation’s history has a state Supreme Court usurped the constitutional role of the legislature in drawing congressional boundaries.............The damage to our republic when a judiciary not only legislates from the bench but manipulates elections makes the interference by Russians pale in comparison.........Read more