By Elliott Gluck Associate Editor, Volume 23 Pennsylvania has a long history of a fierce partisan political divisions, due in part to its extremely diverse electorate, geography, and economy.[1] This divide results in massive campaign spending each election cycle and has earned Pennsylvania the label of a battleground or purple state every four years.[2] With […]
redistricting
Supreme Court Considers Limits of Racial Gerrymandering
By Marcus Baldori Associate Editor, Vol. 22 In the coming months, the Supreme Court is expected to clarify its stance on the legal boundaries of racial gerrymandering. In December 2016 the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections; the case will explore whether a requirement that certain districts have a […]
Court strikes down Virginia discriminatory congressional map
A federal court in Virginia struck down the state’s congressional map on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. The panel found that the state legislature’s decision to pack African Americans into the 3rd Congressional District, a district controlled by Democrats, was unconstitutional because it was motivated solely by race – a violation of the 14thAmendment. The court […]