Federal court rules state must use 2001 legislative districts, ending short-term hope of reducing wide array of districts in Coatesville area
By Mike McGann, Editor, CoatesvilleTimes.com
Any hopes that the greater Coatesville area had to see its legislative representatives simplified have been put on hold, after a federal judge ruled this week that the state should use the previous legislative districts, after the state Supreme Court tossed out a redistricting plan last last month.
Although the redistricting plan would have given the eight towns of the Coatesville Area School District one state house district and one state Senate District, going back to the old map means returning to a crazy quilt of not less than four state house districts and three state Senate Districts.
It looks like this year’s state legislative elections are going to look a whole lot like 2010 — at least in terms of the districts, after a federal court judge rejected an appeal from Republican legislative leaders, who argued using the old districts violated voters rights under the U.S. Constitution.
A reapportionment plan created by the leaders of the state legislature — The Legislative Reapportionment Commission — was thrown out in January by the State Supreme Court, which ruled that legislative districts revert to their old boundaries until new districts could be drawn likely too late for the 2012 elections.
State Sen. Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi and State House of Representatives Majority Leader Mike Turzai brought suit in United State District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, arguing that using the old lines deprives citizens in areas that have gained population — such as Chester County – of fair representation. A number of Latino groups also filed suit, arguing that the old plan fails to property represent their population.
U.S. District Judge Richard Barclay Surrick rejected, those arguments, citing the lack of time and declined to delay the April 24 primary, noting concerns over disrupting Pennsylvania’s role in primary elections for federal offices, including President. The lack of a revised plan — Pileggi and Turzai say a new plan will be ready no later than Feb. 22 — gives the state little in the way alternatives, other than delaying the primary.
“Granting a temporary restraining order at this stage will delay the primary election and potentially disenfranchise Pennsylvania voters,” Surrick wrote in his 24-page ruling.
Surrick noted that even if a new map is approved by Feb. 22, there would need to be a 30-day appeal period with no appeals filed for the maps to have the force of law. No reapportionment map has ever been filed without an appeal, since the state Constitution changed the process in 1968, meaning even with expedited hearings, final state Supreme Court approval of the revised map would be unlikely until early April, just weeks before the scheduled primary.
Such a short period of time would make many of the statutory requirements of the state, from publishing election dates to the gathering of signatures to seek nomination for elective office virtually impossible, he said.
The decision has a massive impact on communities around the greater Coatesville area — most of which had been slated to move into the new 45th District, once again, the school district will be split between four state house districts. Coatesville and Valley revert to the 26th District currently represented by State Rep. Tim Hennessey, Caln will again be split between the 158th District currently represented by State Rep. Chris Ross and the 155th District represented by the retiring Curt Schroder. East Fallowfield, Sadsbury, South Coatesville and Modena return to the 13th District currently represented by John Lawrence. West Brandywine returns to the 155th.
In terms of state senate districts, virtually all of the area would have been moved to the 19th Senate District, currently represented by Andrew Dinniman. Under the old maps, Valley, Coatesville, South Coatesville, Caln and West Brandywine return to the 44th Senate District, currently represented by Sen. John Rafferty.Sadsbury reverts to the 9th State Senate District, currently represented by Sen. Dominic Pileggi.
Modena and East Fallowfield remain in the 19th.
