AMICUS BRIEF FILED IN CRITICAL GERRYMANDERING CASE
ALEXANDRIA, VA—Last Wednesday, The American Civil Rights Union filed an amicus brief in Michael C. Turazai, et al., v. Gretchen Brandt, et. al., the critical gerrymandering case which addresses the question, ‘may a state court serve as a state legislature?’ when administrating the drawing of Pennsylvania congressional districts.
The U.S. Constitution states that state legislatures determine the time, place, and manner of elections—which includes redistricting. But the Pennsylvania Supreme Court substituted itself for the legislature when it drew Pennsylvania’s congressional districts.
Two of the court’s seven members expressly campaigned for office on a platform that attacked the current congressional map. They refused to recuse themselves, which is what they should have done as judges.
The court also abandoned its court procedures—it promptly seized control over the lawsuit, did not hear evidence, refused to conduct a hearing, and did not even explain how it decided on its map.
The map even violated the court’s own legal standards. It was an extreme partisan map, it used many “tentacles” to gerrymander congressional districts, and it was widely viewed as a partisan gerrymander. In short, the Pennsylvania went far beyond its authority by imposing a proportional representation scheme.
If allowed to stand, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s actions will render meaningless the term “legislature” in the U.S. Constitution.
The American Civil Rights Union (@The_ACRU) is dedicated to protecting the civil rights of all Americans by publicly advancing a constitutional understanding of our essential rights and freedoms. The ACRU monitors and counters organizations that threaten our constitutional rights and promotes election integrity, compliance with federal election laws, government transparency and constitutional government.