The following is an excerpt from an article on Pennsylvania gerrymandering by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Continue reading here: www.post-gazette.com

Pennsylvania’s congressional map is so skewed toward Republicans that computer software tasked with randomly drawing maps produced hundreds of drawings that were more politically neutral, according to testimony Monday on the opening day of a state gerrymandering trial.

“Partisan intent predominated the drawing” of the current congressional map, said University of Michigan political science professor Jowei Chen, an expert witness testifying for the group of Pennsylvania voters bringing the challenge.

Republicans have won 13 of the state’s 18 seats in the House of Representatives since the map was adopted in 2011, even as votes in statewide and national elections have been roughly split between Democrats and Republicans.

The following is an excerpt from an article titled “Democrats eye gains in Pennsylvania trial on ‘goofy’ gerrymandering”. Continue reading here: www.reuters.com

In Pennsylvania state Senator Daylin Leach’s bid to win a seat vital to the Democratic Party’s chances in 2018 elections of taking control of the U.S. Congress, his opponents may not be his biggest obstacle. Leach is running in one of the country’s most gerrymandered congressional districts, one with such a twisting, winding shape that it has earned the derisive nickname “Goofy Kicking Donald Duck.”

Also, the following is an excerpt from an article by Stephen Huba at the Tribune-Review. Continue reading here: triblive.com

Delmont resident William Marx had his day in court on Monday. Marx, 41, is one of 18 Pennsylvania residents who, with the League of Women Voters, filed suit against the commonwealth in June over its congressional redistricting practices. They are being represented by the Philadelphia-based Public Interest Law Center.

The case, which challenges the state’s practice of partisan gerrymandering, is being heard by Commonwealth Court Judge P. Kevin Brobson in Harrisburg. On Monday, the opening day of the high-profile trial, Marx testified on the reasons why he joined the lawsuit. A history and civics teacher at Taylor Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill, he quoted his students as saying, “Well then why should we vote?” when they learned about gerrymandering.