Tom Wolf: Latest News

All news where Tom Wolf is mentioned

Tom Wolf - Patricia Maccullough - Divided court explains choice of new Pennsylvania congressional map - fox29.com - state Pennsylvania - city Harrisburg, state Pennsylvania
fox29.com
73%
620
Divided court explains choice of new Pennsylvania congressional map
HARRISBURG, Pa. - All seven Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices issued opinions Wednesday regarding their 4-3 vote last month to pick a new map of the state's congressional districts, disclosing the majority relied partially on how fair the various proposals would be to the two major parties."We conclude that consideration of partisan fairness, when selecting a plan among several that meet traditional core criteria, is necessary to ensure that a congressional plan is reflective of and responsive to the partisan preferences of the commonwealth's voters," wrote Chief Justice Max Baer, joined by three fellow Democrats.He said tools that evaluate partisan fairness can help "avoid vote dilution based on political affiliation."The majority also rejected the argument that the 17 districts, each with nearly 765,000 voters, could not vary by as much as two voters apiece, as does the map they picked.After Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican majority state House and Senate deadlocked on drawing new lines for 17 congressional districts, reflecting the loss of a seat in the 2020 census, the job was left to the courts.The state's population increases over the past decade have been concentrated in the southeast, a stronghold for Democrats, while losses have occurred in the more rural and Republican areas of Pennsylvania's northern tier and western counties.A Republican Commonwealth Court judge, Patricia McCullough, recommended the justices go with the GOP-favored map that Wolf had vetoed.
DMCA