The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Republican challenge Monday and left in place a new Pennsylvania congressional voting map that could help Democrats pick up multiple seats as they look to retake the U.S. House in November.
The high court turned down Pennsylvania Republicans for the second time as they sought to reinstate a GOP-drawn map that gave the party 13 of the state’s 18 congressional seats in the last three general elections. A three-judge panel threw out a separate Republican lawsuit earlier Monday.
The rebuff gives Democrats a chance to build on a potential victory they notched in a special election held March 13 for a formerly Republican-held seat under the old map. Democrat Conor Lamb has a slim lead and has claimed victory, but Republicans say they are considering seeking a recount.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the Republican-drawn map in January, saying it was a partisan gerrymander that violated the state constitution. The state court then imposed the new map, drawn with the help of an outside expert, after the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic governor couldn’t agree on a new set of districts by a Feb. 9 deadline.
Pennsylvania Republicans argued that the state court ruling violated the U.S. Constitution by stripping the legislature of its power to draw voting maps.
Pennsylvania Governor Thomas Wolf said in court papers that 150 candidates relied on the new map as they collected signatures to appear on the ballot. The filing period opened March 7.
Justice Samuel Alito, who handles emergency matters from Pennsylvania, rejected an earlier Republican request in the case on Feb. 5 without comment.
The latest rebuff comes in what could be a watershed year for the rules governing partisan gerrymandering. The Supreme Court is considering cases from Wisconsin and Maryland that could put nationwide limits on lawmakers’ ability to draw maps for partisan advantage.
The Pennsylvania case is Turzai v. League of Women Voters, 17A909.
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