TTL030318F01

Recruitment

web1_botzman.jpg

Their view: Plenty of value in spring break service trips

<p>Two wrongs don&#8217;t make a right. I learned that in grade school. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court correctly identified our current congressional districts as gerrymandered; then it did wrong by drawing its own map. </p><p>And it is wrong for many reasons: </p><p>&#8226; The Pennsylvania Constitution gives this authority strictly to lawmakers, not judges. In fact, no state court in America has ever thrown out a map on partisan grounds and forced its own map upon the people.</p><p>&#8226; The court changed the rules of the game just as petitions are being circulated from congressional candidates, throwing this critical midterm election into confusion.</p><p>&#8226; The redistricting process is supposed to take place immediately after the 10-year census precisely to correct shifts in population. The court used 8-year-old data.</p><p>&#8226; The 2011 congressional map was approved by the General Assembly 136-61 with 36 Democrats voting in favor and 8 Republicans voting against. And now this obviously partisan court wants to recreate the bipartisan map? Perhaps these judges should hang up the black robe and run for the state House if they want to legislate.</p><p>&#8226; Lastly, the speed at which the court fast tracked this case is unprecedented. And why was this case brought forth six long years after the 2011 map was first authorized? Clearly, it was because the judges on the court changed.</p><p>Make no mistake, the 2011 congressional map is horribly gerrymandered.</p><p>However, the critical issue here is one of timing and of jurisdiction. I salute Democratic Judge Max Baer and his reasoning that the map should be changed, but not at the expense of the integrity of our courts nor at the compromising of our elections.</p><p>The other judges have set a very dangerous precedent and should either step down or face impeachment.</p><p><strong>Harry Haas</strong></p><p>Kingston</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Letter-to-the-editor2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Letter-to-the-editor2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Your view: Court redoing congressional map wrong