HARRISBURG, Pa. - The midnight deadline to submit potential Congressional district maps to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has come and gone, with 14 maps submitted to the court for its review.
24 people in all were eligible to submit maps as parties to the lawsuit that resulted in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court throwing out the state's current Congressional districts in January.
GOVERNOR TOM WOLF/SECRETARY OF STATE ROBERT TORRES/ELECTION COMMISSIONER JONATHAN MARKS MAP
Governor Tom Wolf submitted his map to the court before the midnight deadline, in conjunction with acting Secretary of State Robert Torres and Election Commissioner Jonathan Marks. In the meantime, maps from the other parties involved in the gerrymandering suit have been submitted.
PETITIONERS MAPS (18 voters who filed the gerrymandering lawsuit)
Two joint maps from 18 voters affiliated with the League of Women Voters, one from each Congressional district, were submitted late Thursday.
"The important this is that we're moving toward better maps for Pennsylvania voters," said Suzanne Almeida, executive director for the League of Women Voters PA. "This is a serious process, but we're watching democracy work or not work, depending on your point of view, and this has really been an interesting spotlight to put on the process of districting."
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MIKE STACK MAP
Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack, who was one of the named respondents in the lawsuit, also submitted a map.
"I felt it was important to get involved in that process, and I offered a map that was originally compiled by experts in the field to make every vote count," Stack said via phone Thursday.
HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE TURZAI/ SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE JOE SCARNATI MAP
Senate President pro tempore Joe Scarnati and House Speaker Mike Turzai submitted the map they had submitted to Governor Wolf that he rejected on Tuesday.
Seven other maps were submitted by various groups Thursday. Three were by participants in the lawsuit.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS MAP
SENATE DEMOCRATS MAP
POTENTIAL INTERVENORS MAP (a group of GOP voters who attempted to fight the lawsuit)
Four other groups were submitted through amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs:
CONCERNED CITIZENS FOR DEMOCRACY MAP
AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS UNION MAP
FAIR DEMOCRACY (submitted two maps)
ADELE SCHNEIDER & STEPHEN WOLF MAPS
Republicans were quick to chastise the process once again.
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R - Centre County) says he met with the Governor and House Majority Leader Dave Reed Thursday in a last-ditch effort to come up with a joint solution, but came up empty.
"The Governor has chosen chaos," Corman told reporters. "I guess the Governor's loyalties to the Democrat National Committee and making Nancy Pelosi the Speaker of the House is more important than his loyalties to the Pennsylvania Constitution."
Corman says he is hoping this process ends before the State Supreme Court draws a map by Monday in conjunction with Nate Persily, a Stanford University law professor with expertise in gerrymandering cases.
If that happens, Corman has not ruled out a lawsuit in federal court to stop what he calls a "constitutional crisis."
"He's going to act as the prosecutor by presenting the evidence, he's going to act as the juror by evaluating the evidence, and he solely is going to act as a judge by ultimately ruling on the evidence and producing a map for the people of Pennsylvania to live under," Corman said.