Pennsylvania Supreme Court orders lower court to hear and rule on gerrymandering case by end of year
http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2017/11/pennsylvania-supreme-court-orders-lower-court-to-hear-and-rule-on-gerrymandering-case-by-end-of-year.php
[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania [official website] issued a per curiam order [text, PDF] Thursday vacating a decision by the Commonwealth Court to stay a hearing in a gerrymandering case, League of Women Voters v. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania [docket]. The outcome of the case is virtually guaranteed to have a substantial impact on the results of the upcoming 2018 elections.
Last month, the Commonwealth Court granted [order, PDF] a request by Respondents in the case -- Republican members of the General Assembly including House Speaker Michael Turzai and Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati -- apparently agreeing with their argument that the case should only proceed after the US Supreme Court has reached a decision in Gill v. Whitford [SCOTUSblog backgrounder], a case involving gerrymandering in Wisconsin. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's order yesterday makes clear they disagree, stating "the present case involves issues of immediate public importance requiring this Court’s assumption of plenary jurisdiction."...
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