#POLITICS JANUARY 17, 2018 / 6:15 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Pennsylvania court could order new congressional map before 2018 midterms

David DeKok
3 MIN READ

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices on Wednesday grilled a lawyer who defended the way state congressional districts are apportioned, a design opponents have challenged as illegally skewed to benefit Republicans who hold 13 of its 18 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The majority of the court, which has five Democrats and two Republicans, appeared sympathetic to the argument that Pennsylvania’s congressional districts are illegally gerrymandered. A civic group and some Democratic voters brought the challenge, one of several such lawsuits nationwide.

If the court ordered lawmakers to draw a new map, it could help Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections. The party needs to flip two dozen seats nationwide to win control of the House, and Pennsylvania is a key battleground.

Jason Torchinsky, a lawyer representing Republican legislative leaders, endured tough questions from the justices over his contention that lawmakers can legally draw the map to protect partisan interests.

Justice Max Baer, a Democrat, questioned Torchinsky’s claim that district maps can connect disparate neighborhoods using “land bridges,” sometimes no wider than a single property.

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