February 2, 2018 – Today petitioners in Pennsylvania’s redistricting lawsuit filed their opposition to the Pennsylvania legislators’ and Intervenors’ applications asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision striking down Pennsylvania’s congressional map as unconstitutional and ordering a new map for the 2018 elections. Petitioners are represented by the Public Interest Law Center and Arnold & Porter.
“The highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has spoken, and in our federal system, that court has the last and final say on Pennsylvania law,” said Elisabeth Theodore of Arnold & Porter. “There is no basis for the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, and the state legislature should get to work on drawing a new map.”
“The officials who run elections in Pennsylvania have assured the Court that orderly and efficient elections can be held under a new, constitutional map in time for 2018,” said Mimi McKenzie, Legal Director of the Public Interest Law Center. “This run to the U.S. Supreme Court is just a desperate attempt by Pennsylvania’s legislators to hold on to an unconstitutional map that benefits their party and diminishes the voices of voters.”
The filing can be viewed here: https://pubintlaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2018-02-02-Plaintiffs-Opposition-to-Stay-Applications.pdf.
On January 26, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Michael C. Turzai and Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph B. Scarnati III, and a group of Republican Intervenors, each filed an Emergency Application for Stay with the U.S. Supreme Court. Their requests come after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Pennsylvania’s 2011 U.S. congressional districting map violates the Pennsylvania Constitution and enjoined its use in the upcoming May 15, 2018 primary.
For more information on the lawsuit, including all case documents, visit: https://pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/pennsylvania-redistricting-lawsuit/
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The Public Interest Law Center uses high-impact legal strategies to advance the civil, social, and economic rights of communities in the Philadelphia region facing discrimination, inequality, and poverty. We use litigation, community education, advocacy, and organizing to secure their access to fundamental resources and services in the areas of public education, housing, health care, employment, environmental justice and voting. For more information visit www.pubintlaw.org or follow on Twitter @PubIntLawCtr.
Arnold & Porter is a law firm of more than 1,000 lawyers across nine domestic and four international offices with more than 30 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues, as well as a wide range of industries, including those involving the life sciences and financial services areas. Arnold & Porter has established one of the world’s leading law firm pro bono programs. Our pro bono commitment is key to who we are and is the reason why many of our attorneys have made their professional home here. We believe that all lawyers have an obligation to do pro bono work, and we strive to maintain that commitment. For more information, visit https://www.arnoldporter.com.
