CASE SUMMARY

On February 15, 2022, several Pennsylvania voters filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court challenging the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s adopted state House redistricting plan as violating the Pennsylvania Constitution. Plaintiffs alleged the plan wrongfully and unnecessarily divided Butler County into more districts than necessary to secure partisan advantage and protect incumbent legislators in violation of the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Free and Equal Elections Clause, Anti-Discrimination Clause, and requirement to minimize subdivision splits, in addition to the state’s general, neutral criteria of compactness and contiguity. They sought a court order amending the 2022 election calendar to allow time for their challenge, striking down the adopted state House plan, and adopting the Commission’s preliminary legislative redistricting plan instead.

  • On March 16, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an order upholding the plan as constitutional and dismissing all challenges pending against it.

CASE LIBRARY

Pennsylvania Supreme Court - No. 4 WM 2022