Pennsylvania GOP Petitions SCOTUS On Gerrymandering

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

Republican legislative leaders have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s order that lawmakers redraw the state’s congressional district maps, arguing that the justices are intruding on their turf.

“In short, the question in this case is whether the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the Pennsylvania ‘Legislature’ under the federal Constitution, and the answer to that question is a resounding no,” lawyers for Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) wrote in their request, which was sent to Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Their request, many experts feel, is a long shot. It was filed shortly before the state Supreme Court informed attorneys that it was rejecting a similar request from Republicans who had asked the justices to halt their own order.