We are also still on Instagram at @govtrack.us posting 60-second video summaries of legislation in Congress. background-color: #db0000; Judge Kevin Brobson penned the document, which is not itself a binding legal decision. The whole district is diverse and there are many opportunities such as clubs, sports, or jobs. All that zigging and zagging is gone, and it makes Delaware County a competitive seat now." "[6] This map took effect for Pennsylvania's 2022 congressional elections. [8] Pennsylvania Republicans requested a stay from the United States Supreme Court, to delay the drawing of new district boundaries; however, that request was denied on February 5, 2018. PIAA District Map - PIAA Pennsylvania Presidential Election Voting History - 270toWin Each state in the United States elects two senators, regardless of the states population. History of the Federal Judiciary. "[85][86], On May 29, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States dismissed Agre v. Wolf, a separate suit alleging unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering in the state's congressional district map, as moot. The majority opinion was penned by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Plaintiffs have proven their claim by clear and convincing evidence, which is the appropriate burden of proof. Pennsylvania State Senate - Wikipedia Economy. .partytd.Republican { Americans in the United Statess six territories do not have senators. By Spotlight PA | For PennLive.com This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on. Plaintiffs' ambitious theory suffers from three fatal flaws. Small-scale beef and dairy farming is common, and there are many small-scale producers of maple syrup in the region. The characteristics of Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil make it especially desirable for high-end uses. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Further, state legislative districts should "respect county, city, incorporated town, borough, township and ward boundaries." On February 4, 2022, the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted 4-1 to approve new state House and Senate maps. Were looking to learn more about who uses GovTrack and what features you find helpful or think could be improved. Voters may feel as though they do not have a meaningful alternative to the incumbent legislator. [3] Justices Debra Todd (D), Sallie Mundy (R), and Kevin Brobson (R) dissented. As of 2015, Pennsylvania was home to two congressional majority-minority districts. If youve visited a bill page on GovTrack.us recently, you may have noticed a new study guide tab located just below the bill title. Pennsylvania State Senate - Ballotpedia This map, as well as the original district map, adopted by the state legislature in 2011, are presented below. Pennsylvania comprises 50 state Senate districts and 203 state House districts. Selection of state court judges in Pennsylvania occurs through partisan elections. Accordingly, we conclude that leave to amend would be futile. The superior court was established in 1895. text-align: center; Published: Feb. 07, 2022, 2:04 p.m. color: white; A number of sitting congressional representatives had their districts modified or merged as part of the redistricting. Pennsylvania's 18 United States representatives and 253 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. text-align: center; [2][3][4], In Pennsylvania, the statutory authority to draw congressional district boundaries is vested with the Pennsylvania General Assembly. For the judiciary, this should be the end of the inquiry. These results are automatically generated from Google. The counties and important towns in the Northern Tier are: The region is bounded to the north by the Southern Tier of New York, to the west by Northern Pennsylvania, and to the east by Northeastern Pennsylvania. The court ordered the commission to redraw the map. For additional background information about these cases, click "[Show more]" below. The Northwest Pennsylvania High School Sports Awards' winners have been crowned. table#officeholder-table th, td {font-size: 10px; } The Northern Tier region as a whole is notorious for its high unemployment and low per-capita incomes in comparison to the rest of Pennsylvania, though the discovery of the Marcellus Formation provided an economic boost in the 2000s and 2010s. Representatives are also called congressmen/congresswomen. While Central Buck's base salary is only a few hundred dollars higher than Harrisburg's, there's much more room for growth. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[1][2][3][4]. In Pennsylvania, inmates who were in-state residents prior to incarceration are counted in their last known residence's district population, and out-of-state residents are excluded from all district populations. A lot can and has been said about the 2011 Plan, much of which is unflattering and yet justified. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, an attorney for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, in a separate letter, said, "The General Assembly and its Legislative Data Processing Center do not maintain ESRI shapefiles that contain current boundaries of all Pennsylvania municipalities and precincts. Federal courts State supreme court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas penned an opinion that concurred in part with the majority opinion and in the judgment, joined by Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch. Oral arguments in the case were heard on March 9, 2018. The table below lists Pennsylvania's current House representatives. These are linked below:[71][72][73], On February 19, 2018, the state supreme court voted 4-3 to adopt the remedial congressional plan drafted by Nate Persily. They are where most misdemeanor and all felony criminal cases are disposed of, where Orphan's Court matters are addressed, and where larger civil cases are originated. In these circumstances, the displacement to the judiciary of the political responsibility for redistricting -- which is assigned to the General Assembly by the United States Constitution -- appears to me to be unprecedented. The region is bordered to the north by the Southern Tier of New York state. By contrast, the filing period for candidates for other offices, such as governor and United States senator, began on February 13, 2018, and ended on March 6, 2018. Total population tallies include non-voting residents, such as immigrants residing in the country without legal permission, prisoners, and children. Click a link for information about that court type. 1843-1853: 24 seats 1853-1863: 25 seats 1863-1873: 24 seats 1873-1883: 27 seats 1883-1893: 28 seats Following the 1880 census, the delegation grew by one seat. [8][5], The Pittsburgh Municipal Court is a minor court in Pennsylvania that deals with municipal matters. Federal law prohibits racial gerrymandering and establishes that, to combat this practice and to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act, states and jurisdictions can create majority-minority electoral districts. Brobson wrote the following:[50][51], Suzanne Almeida, the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, said, "While we are disappointed that Judge Brobson did not find that the existing state of Pennsylvania law was violated by the 2011 partisan gerrymander, we are encouraged by the strong findings of fact in our favor and look forward to the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts ultimate decision in the case." The following is a list of recent redistricting bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Pennsylvania state legislature. This map was also subject to court challenges, but these were dismissed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on May 8, 2013. 2 Hall of the House 3 Speaker of the House 4 Composition Toggle Composition subsection 4.1 Current session 4.2 Leadership 5 Current members 6 Past composition of the House of Representatives 7 Committees This represented a net loss of one seat as compared to apportionment after the 2010 census.[37]. Together, these regions are known as the Twin Tiers. In Pennsylvania, there are three federal district courts, state supreme court, a superior court, a commonwealth court, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. See the sections below for further information on the following topics: This section includes background information on federal requirements for congressional redistricting, state legislative redistricting, state-based requirements, redistricting methods used in the 50 states, gerrymandering, and recent court decisions. Click here for more information on maps enacted after the 2020 census. Legislators who lack competition in their districts have less incentive to adhere to their constituents opinions. Federal requirements for congressional redistricting, Federal requirements for state legislative redistricting, How incarcerated persons are counted for redistricting, State legislatures after the 2010 redistricting cycle. } Pennsylvanias 500 school districts range in size from approximately 200 students to more than 140,000 students. K-12 Schools in Pennsylvania - Niche It determines how voters are. United States congressional delegations from Pennsylvania Speaker Dennis O'Brien was the only minority-party Speaker known in Pennsylvania and only the second known nationwide. When used in a rhetorical manner by opponents of a particular district map, the term has a negative connotation but does not necessarily address the legality of a challenged map. created Jun 28 2017. updated Feb 18 2020. They must be a U.S. citizen and a Pennsylvania resident four years, and a resident of the district they represent one year prior to their election and must reside in that district during their term.[4]. Twenty years later, 43% of Democrats lived in a place Trump won, but just 28% of Republicans lived in a Biden-voting neighborhood. Representative. "[67][68], On February 13, 2018, Governor Tom Wolf (D) announced that he would not submit the remedial congressional district plan drafted by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R) and House Speaker Mike Turzai (R) to the state supreme court. Political predecessor districts are determined primarily based on incumbents and where each chose to seek re-election. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. | The burden shifts to the State to prove that its race-based sorting of voters serves a 'compelling interest' and is 'narrowly tailored' to that end." Following the 2020 United States Census, Pennsylvania was apportioned 17 congressional seats, one less than the number it had after the 2010 census. The city of Philadelphia is coterminous with Philadelphia County, the municipalities having been consolidated in 1854, and all remaining county government functions having been merged into the city after a 1951 referendum. In Maryland, the median superintendent salary is higher. Governor Tom Wolf (D) said the map was a "fair map that will result in a congressional delegation mirroring the citizenry of Pennsylvania." [7] House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R) voted no, while Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R), state Rep. Joanna McClinton (D), state Sen. Jay Costa (D), and chairman Mark Nordenberg voted yes. This court of action cannot square with either the plain text of the U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause, which delegates redistricting authority to 'the Legislature' of each state, or with this Court's interpretive precedent, which holds that '[r]edistricting involves lawmaking in its essential features and most important aspect.'. There are three federal bankruptcy courts in Pennsylvania. Nikil Saval. Tom Wolf (D) vetoed the legislature's enacted map on January 26. Public School Enrollment Reports - Pennsylvania Department of Education The majority opinion read, in part, as follows:[74], Chief Justice Thomas Saylor filed a dissenting opinion, which read, in part, as follows:[75], Justices Sallie Mundy and Max Baer also penned individual dissents. Before Trump's 2016 win, the state voted . Thank you for joining the GovTrack Advisory Community! The day was not observed in South Dakota until 2020, when the governor proclaimed it a state holiday. Description. } Agriculture and light manufacturing are also important employers. Cottrill found that "particular types of [non-legislative approaches] encourage the appearance in congressional elections of experienced and well-financed challengers." [74], Justices Debra Todd, Christine Donohue, Kevin M. Dougherty, and David N. Wecht formed the court's majority. "[11][12][13], The equal population requirement for congressional districts is strict. @media only screen and (min-width: 600px) { The region's top two employers are government-funded services, specifically health care and education services. Family law matters, such as custody, divorce, and support are also addressed at the primary level under the supervision of the Court of Common Pleas for a county. First, the Framers provided a check on state power within the text of the Elections Clause, but it is a political oneaction by Congress. Voting & Election Statistics - Pennsylvania Department of State You may search for your district information with your address or using your county. We hope to make GovTrack more useful to policy professionals like you. For more information regarding this report, including methodology, see this article. The five Northern Tier counties are home to roughly 180,000 people distributed among many small towns and the countryside.[1]. The speakership is the oldest elected statewide office in the Commonwealth. "[78][79][80], On February 27, 2018, Turzai and Scarnati petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States for a stay of the state supreme court's order pending appeal. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .courts-container { background-color:#fcfcfc; width:100%; border:1px solid black;padding:5px;text-align:center;clear:both; } View an interactive map that features all 500 public school districts in Pennsylvania, categorized by region. PLACES Pennsylvania has 1,764 places; 1,015 incorporated places and 749 census designated places (CDPs). Findings include: Only 5.6% of Pennsylvania's teachers are persons of color. Dush, Cris (R) District 25. This is part of a new project to develop better tools for bringing real-time legislative data into the classroom. The plaintiffs, a group of Republican voters, alleged that "the commission diluted or inflated the votes of almost two million Arizona citizens when the commission intentionally and systematically overpopulated 16 Republican districts while under-populating 11 Democrat districts." The court ultimately selected the Carter map in a 4-3 ruling, which was submitted by a group of Pennsylvania citizens who were petitioners in a redistricting-related lawsuit. Northern Tier (Pennsylvania) - Wikipedia The term can also be used in legal documents; in this context, the term describes redistricting practices that violate federal or state laws.[1][16]. Map of Pennsylvania State Senate Districts - June 2023 - Zipdatamaps Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D) and House Minority Leader Frank Dermody (D) issued a joint statement that same day denouncing the map: "The Republican leadership in both chambers blocked this process, refused to negotiate, and have now submitted a map directly to [the governor's] office that we have not even seen." Until 1889, that seat was elected at-large statewide. At issue was the constitutionality of state legislative districts in Texas. The plaintiffs alleged that this tabulation method dilutes the voting power of citizens residing in districts that are home to smaller concentrations of non-voting residents.
 padding-left: 10px !important; General information State-by-state redistricting procedures United States census, 2020 Majority-minority districts Gerrymandering Ballotpedia's election legislation tracker Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Ballotpedia features 409,904 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Map Key. Fifty-five percent of Pennsylvania's public schools and 38% of all school districts . Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. While in many states elected judges run for re-election at the end of their terms, judges in Pennsylvania, except for magisterial district judges, run in yes-no retention elections in order to remain on the court.[1]. Kagan penned a concurring opinion joined by Ginsburg, Breyer, and Sotomayor. Chief Justice Thomas Saylor said the following in a statement: "Threats of impeachment directed against Justices because of their decision in a particular case are an attack upon an independent judiciary, which is an essential component of our constitutional plan of government. GovTrack.us is not a government website. .partytd.Gray { 	color: white; table #officeholder-table td { [7] These maps took effect for Pennsylvania's 2022 legislative elections. [8][9], Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution stipulates that congressional representatives be apportioned to the states on the basis of population. List of current members ^ John Sabatina resigned on December 31, 2021. State legislature | McKean County. Community Rating. Lower house of legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania State House" and "Pennsylvania House" redirect here. Members of the Senate - PA State Senate - PA General Assembly [5] However, only five of the state's 18 federal Representatives (27.78%) were Democrats. Operations: Meghann Olshefski  Amanda Herbert  Mandy Morris  Kelly Rindfleisch Had the 2018 map been in place during the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) would have won 10 districts and Hillary Clinton (D) would have won eight. There are 105 non-attorney positions in the office.Nov 17, 2021. Pennsylvania School Districts Boundaries | PA Open Data Portal Redistricting in Pennsylvania - Google News. Dermody said, "Its an attack on the independence of every judge in our state, one of the bedrock principles of our democracy. The latest round includes: the submission, within the past few days, of more than a dozen sophisticated redistricting plans; the lack of an opportunity for critical evaluation by all of the parties; the adoption of a judicially created redistricting plan apparently upon advice from a political scientist who has not submitted a report as of record nor appeared as a witness in any court proceeding in this case; and the absence of an adversarial hearing to resolve factual controversies arising in the present remedial phase of this litigation. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. Wolf will review Speaker Turzai and President Scarnati's submission in consultation with the experts retained by the administration to determine his next course of action. After analyzing state election results since 2000, Johnson wrote, "In 2000, 42% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans lived in a neighborhood that the other party won. On February 4, 2022, the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted 4-1 to approve new state House and Senate maps. 	background-color:  #003388;  A majority-minority district is one in which a racial group or groups comprise a majority of the district's populations. Consequently, a state may gain seats in the House if its population grows or lose seats if its population decreases, relative to populations in other states. On January 22, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional district map, finding that the map constituted an illegal partisan gerrymander. 	color: white; Purpose: Public information and support for transportation planning, design and development. The new map took effect in 2014.[36][95]. The Supreme Court of the United States has, in recent years, issued several decisions dealing with redistricting policy, including rulings relating to the consideration of race in drawing district maps, the use of total population tallies in apportionment, and the constitutionality of independent redistricting commissions. [2] It is the oldest appellate court in the United States.[3]. If pursued, this would be a clear and present danger to the administration of justice in Pennsylvania." The article for each Pennsylvania county with more than one school district includes a map showing all public school districts in the county. On February 23, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled to enact a new congressional map. [17] Prior to the 2018 House elections, the Republicans had held 12 seats to 6 for the Democrats, and prior to the March 2018 special election in the 18th district, the delegation had consisted of 13 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Each district elects a representative . The defendants countered that the population deviations resulted from legally defensible efforts to comply with the Voting Rights Act and obtain approval from the United States Department of Justice. No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. In Hawaii and North Dakota, Juneteenth has been a day of observance since 2022 but is not considered a state holiday. According to Article I, Section 4 of the United States Constitution, the states and their legislatures have primary authority in determining the "times, places, and manner" of congressional elections. An election corrupted by extensive, sophisticated gerrymandering and partisan dilution of votes is not 'free and equal.' The accompanying brief summarizes our analysis of the new data. The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms RedistrictingPennsylvania. [24][25][26][27], Harris v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 2016. ". An election was considered mildly competitive if it was won by a margin of victory between 5 and 10 percent. [65][66], On February 9, 2018, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R) and House Speaker Mike Turzai (R) filed a remedial congressional district plan with Governor Tom Wolf (D). Please join our advisory group to let us know what more we can do. Each senator serves four-year terms. Justice Max Baer filed an opinion that concurred in part and dissented in part with the court's majority opinion. In the 2022 midterms, per the 2020 United States census, Pennsylvania lost one congressional seat, bringing the delegation's number to 17 districts.[1]. District 1. The median salary for a Pennsylvania superintendent last year was a little under $140,000. Such a plan, aimed at achieving unfair partisan gain, undermines voters ability to exercise their right to vote in free and 'equal' elections if the term is to be interpreted in any credible way. We hope to enable educators to build lesson plans centered around any bill or vote in Congress, even those as recent as yesterday. At the time of redistricting, Republicans held the governorship and both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. [74], Pennsylvania Democrats applauded the remedial map. After the 2000 census, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was divided into 19 congressional districts, decreasing from 21 due to reapportionment.. After the 2010 census, the number of districts decreased again to 18.In the 2022 midterms, per the 2020 United States census, Pennsylvania lost one congressional seat, bringing the delegation's number to 17 districts. School districts | In regard to the first part of the aforementioned analysis, Kagan went on to note that "a plaintiff succeeds at this stage even if the evidence reveals that a legislature elevated race to the predominant criterion in order to advance other goals, including political ones." Judges Edward G. Smith and Patty Shwartz comprised the majority, with Judge Michael Baylson dissenting. .courts-container hr {background-color:#f0a236;padding-bottom:2px;}, Third Circuit Court of Appeals  U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania  U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania  Local Education Agencies with publicly funded schools report those  All school districts in Pennsylvania, PA - GreatSchools The compactness of the plan is superior or comparable to the other submissions[.] North Carolina's Supreme Court threw out the state's GOP-drawn 11-3 map, offering a new plan that scrambles incumbents' districts. Why are there so many school districts in Pa.? - WHYY U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Pennsylvania The federal district courts in Pennsylvania are: Appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. The federal bankruptcy courts in Pennsylvania are: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. Smith wrote the following in his memorandum opinion:[47][48], Baylson wrote the following in his dissent:[49], On December 29, 2017, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania issued its "Recommended Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law" in League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a case dealing with alleged partisan gerrymandering of the state's congressional district plan. The list below identifies the members of the United States House delegation from Pennsylvania, their service start dates, and current court-ordered district boundaries. In 2014, Ballotpedia conducted a study of competitive districts in 44 state legislative chambers between 2010, the last year in which district maps drawn after the 2000 census applied, and 2012, the first year in which district maps drawn after the 2010 census applied. } Youre more than a vote, so support GovTrack today with a tip of any amount: Or keep using GovTrack for free! These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below. Margo Davidson resigned on July 23, 2021, after being charged with theft of state funds. "[13], The United States Constitution is silent on the issue of state legislative redistricting. Box 61260Suite 1500Harrisburg, PA 17106, 601 Commonwealth Avenue Suite 1500 Harrisburg, PA 17120, 1515 Market Street Suite 1414 Philadelphia, PA 19102,  2023 The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, Follow the Unified Judicial System on Twitter, Search, view and print court docket sheets, Securely pay fines, costs, and restitution, Electronically file documents with the courts, Commonwealth Court Prothonotary's Address, Office of Children & Families in the Courts. In addition to the federal criteria noted above, individual states may impose additional requirements on redistricting. Because fundamental principles of constitutional standing and judicial restraint prohibit us from exercising jurisdiction, we have no authority to take any action other than to dismiss the Plaintiffs verified complaint. Courts in Pennsylvania - Ballotpedia } There were no noted dissents in the order. On February 5, 2018, the Supreme Court denied Republicans' request for a stay. The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. As of August 2021, five judges on the court were elected in partisan elections as Democrats, one judge was elected as a Republican, and one judge was appointed by a Democratic governor. ", States and other political subdivisions may create majority-minority districts in order to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Pennsylvania was not included in this study. Pennsylvania is a state in the United States. Incorporated places in Pennsylvania are independent of county subdivisions. Agriculture is an important activity in the region despite the short growing season and hilly terrain. [1][2], .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}415031N 760506W / 41.842N 76.085W / 41.842; -76.085.