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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on the Pennsylvania congressional gerrymandering lawsuit (all times local):
2:30 p.m.
Top Republican lawmakers say they are outraged by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to strike down the boundaries of the state's 18 congressional districts and will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to halt it.
Pennsylvania's top two Republican state senators, Joe Scarnati and Jake Corman, said Monday that the state court's decision oversteps its legal authority. They say they'll petition the U.S. Supreme Court this week to halt the decision.
They also say the state court has set up an impossible deadline of Feb. 9 to redraw the map and that will introduce chaos in the upcoming congressional election.
Democratic voters sued last summer, contending that Pennsylvania's congressional boundaries were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit Republicans.
The state's congressional delegation is controlled by Republicans, 13-5, even though registered Democratic voters outnumber registered Republicans.
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2 p.m.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has struck down the boundaries of the state's 18 congressional districts, granting a major victory to plaintiffs who had contended that they were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit Republicans.
The Democratic-controlled court issued the order Monday. It gives the Republican-controlled Legislature until Feb. 9 to pass a replacement and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf until Feb. 15 to submit it to the court.
Otherwise, the justices say they will adopt a plan in an effort to keep the May 15 primary election on track.
The state's congressional delegation is controlled by Republicans, 13-5, even though registered Democratic voters outnumber registered Republicans.
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