Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission

Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission
Name	Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission
Formed	1968
Headquarters	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction	Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Chief1 name	Chairperson
Chief1 position	Chair

Contents

Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission is the constitutionally established body responsible for drawing legislative and congressional district boundaries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under provisions of the Pennsylvania Constitution, federal statutes such as the United States Constitution, and judicial decisions including rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The commission operates at the intersection of state politics involving the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and partisan actors such as the Republican Party (United States) and the Democratic Party (United States), while subject to litigation in venues including the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

History

The commission traces origins to reapportionment reforms following the Reynolds v. Sims decision and state constitutional amendments in the 1960s, set against national debates involving the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Apportionment Act, and precedents such as Wesberry v. Sanders and Baker v. Carr. Early panels and redistricting plans were influenced by prominent Pennsylvania political figures like the Governor of Pennsylvania (1960s), legislative leaders from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate, and civic organizations including the League of Women Voters and the AARP. Subsequent decades saw major interventions by courts including the Supreme Court of the United States in partisan gerrymandering matters such as Rucho v. Common Cause and state high courts such as the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in cases like League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Under state law and the Pennsylvania Constitution, the commission is comprised of five members: four appointed by the leaders of the majority and minority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate, plus a fifth member who serves as chair, often selected by the four appointees or appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania when the parties cannot agree. Appointing authorities have included the Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate, the minority leaders of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate, and statewide executives such as the Governor of Pennsylvania during interbranch negotiations. Individual commissioners have sometimes included former jurists from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, attorneys from firms litigating before the United States Supreme Court, and civic leaders affiliated with groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Brennan Center for Justice.

The commission’s primary authority is to draw boundaries for Pennsylvania’s United States House of Representatives districts and its state legislative districts for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate every decennial cycle following the United States Census Bureau counts. Its responsibilities intersect with federal statutes including the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and constitutional mandates arising from the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, while subject to review by federal courts like the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and appellate panels such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The commission’s maps affect electoral contests involving candidates from the Democratic Party (United States), the Republican Party (United States), third parties such as the Libertarian Party (United States), and independent challengers in districts spanning regions including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, and Harrisburg.

Statutory and judicial criteria require the commission to consider population equality derived from the United States Census Bureau, contiguity of districts across counties like Allegheny County and Montgomery County, respect for political subdivisions such as municipalities in Pennsylvania and counties of Pennsylvania, and compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 regarding racial and language minority protections as interpreted in cases like Thornburg v. Gingles. The commission’s technical process relies on geographic information system software used by practitioners who have worked with institutions like the National Conference of State Legislatures and consulting groups such as the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, employing criteria debated in academic venues including scholars from Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Carnegie Mellon University. Public participation features hearings held in locations such as Philadelphia City Hall, Pittsburgh City-County Building, and civic centers attended by advocacy organizations like Common Cause, League of Women Voters, and regional bar associations.

Redistricting in Pennsylvania has generated litigation involving allegations of partisan gerrymandering brought by plaintiffs represented by organizations such as Common Cause and the American Civil Liberties Union, defended by state legislative leaders and counsel tied to the Republican Party (United States) and the Democratic Party (United States). Landmark state litigation culminated in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania decision in League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which led to court-ordered remedial maps and involved expert testimony from scholars affiliated with Harvard University, Princeton University, and Stanford University. Federal cases reached the Supreme Court of the United States in matters like Rucho v. Common Cause, affecting the judiciary’s role and prompting renewed disputes in lower courts including the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Maps produced after the 2020 United States Census led to contested plans for the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania and produced shifts in representation for districts encompassing Philadelphia, Allegheny County, and the Lehigh Valley. Outcomes included electoral contests featuring representatives such as members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and primary battles influenced by incumbents tied to districts reshaped by the commission. Remedial and negotiated maps affected party balance in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and contributed to litigation and legislative strategy debates involving state actors like the Governor of Pennsylvania and national stakeholders including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Category:Redistricting in the United States Category:Government agencies of Pennsylvania