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Today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the motion for expedited review of Common Cause v. Rucho in the wake of the Court granting a stay in the case after a unanimous decision from a three-judge federal court had ruled North Carolina’s congressional districts unconstitutional and ordered them redrawn by January 24, 2018.

Today the United State Supreme Court denied the request in League of Women Voters vs Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a stay of an order by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, that the legislature redraw congressional district lines because they violated the state constitution.

Today, Common Cause joined an ideologically diverse group of governors, members of Congress, local government leaders, and others in filing amicus briefs urging the Supreme Court to put an end to partisan gerrymandering. On March 28, the Court will hear arguments in Benisek v. Lamone, a First Amendment challenge to Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District, which Democrats drew after the 2010 census in a successful attempt to defeat a longtime Republican incumbent. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could result in a nationwide prohibition against the manipulation of legislative boundaries for political advantage.

Today, Common Cause filed a motion in the U.S. Supreme Court in Common Cause v. Rucho urging the court to expedite its review of the case in order to provide relief to North Carolina voters in time for 2018 congressional elections. Last week the Supreme Court granted a stay in the case after a unanimous decision from a three-judge federal court had ruled North Carolina’s congressional districts unconstitutional and ordered them redrawn by January 24, 2018. In today’s brief the successful plaintiffs argue that hearing the North Carolina General Assembly’s appeal on a slower standard schedule will unfairly result in North Carolinians voting this November in congressional districts ruled to be an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. This would be a fourth congressional election cycle using an unconstitutional map.

Today, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ruled the state’s extreme partisan political gerrymander in violation of the state constitution and ordered districts redrawn by February 9, 2018. Common Cause helped to recruit the plaintiffs in the case and filed an amicus brief, which offered alternative constitutional maps, drawn by a panel of experts, that the legislature can utilize to meet the court deadline. Despite a roughly equal split in votes between the parties in each election since the 2011 redistricting, Republicans have consistently won 13 of the state’s 18 congressional seats.

Today the U.S. Supreme Court in Common Cause v. Rucho denied a stay request from North Carolina legislators ordered by a federal court to redraw the state’s unconstitutionally gerrymandered congressional districts by January 24, 2018. The stay was requested pending the Supreme Court’s ruling in two redistricting challenges before the Court.