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Fri 23 Mar, 2018 05:07 pm
Don't they need grounds to get away with this?
GOP lawmakers seek to impeach judges over congressional mapwww.pennlive.com/news/2018/03/gop_lawmakers_seek_to_impeach.html
By Mark Scolforo
The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Twelve Republican state legislators in Pennsylvania have signed on to resolutions introduced Tuesday that seek to impeach four Democratic justices on the state Supreme Court over rulings in a congressional redistricting case.
The four nearly identical resolutions argue the justices acted improperly through rulings that gave lawmakers about three weeks to enact a new district map and then produced a court-drawn map.
The court ruled a 2011 GOP-crafted map, among the most gerrymandered in the nation, violated the state constitution's guarantee of free and equal elections. The replacement it came up with is widely expected to help Democrats as they seek to flip U.S. House seats now held by Republicans.
"If we allow this to stand without taking action, the future courts are going to decide that the court has the ultimate ability to write law and they can turn around and cite this as precedent where we've allowed it to occur with no repercussions on the court," said the prime sponsor, Jefferson County Republican Rep. Cris Dush .
The co-sponsors are among the House's more conservative Republicans, and so far no members of the GOP leadership have signed on.
If the 203-member House votes to impeach, the two-thirds of senators in attendance must agree to convict in order to remove the official.
"It is not a decision to be made lightly, and we have not had those discussions," said House Republican caucus spokesman Steve Miskin.
The resolutions seek impeachment of justices David Wecht , Debra Todd , Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty . None returned messages seeking comment left Tuesday at their chambers.
House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody of Allegheny County called the impeachment movement a "ridiculous political vendetta" that attempts to intimidate elected justices.
"This is an absurd attack on common sense," Dermody said. "It's an attack on the independence of every judge in our state, one of the bedrock principles of our democracy."
The president of the state bar association, Sharon R. Lopez, says the judiciary needs to be independent without threat of impeachment by another branch of government.
"The Pennsylvania Constitution makes clear that public officials can be impeached 'for any misbehavior in office,'" Lopez said recently. "There are no allegations of misbehavior in this case."
Republicans drew the 2011 map to help their candidates, and it worked, giving them a 13-5 edge in the congressional delegation for the past three election cycles. Democrats have a 5-to-4 statewide edge in voter registration, and have won 18 of 24 statewide races since the 2011 map was put in place.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a bid by Republican House Speaker Mike Turzai and Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati to block the new map, and a three-judge panel threw out a separate challenge to the state court decision brought by eight sitting Republican congressmen and two GOP state senators.
Can't get the link to work
@edgarblythe,
edgarblythe wrote:Don't they need grounds to get away with this?
Well, yes. But since the Democrats keep calling to impeach Trump without justification, I guess the Pennsylvania Republicans are following their lead.
Might want to tag this "Pennsylvania". Otherwise your subject line might be mistaken as meaning something that the Republicans are doing on a federal level.
I guessed that it was probably the Pennsylvania thing when I read the thread title. But not everyone is necessarily going to guess that.
@oralloy,
Hmm, It seems its been the GOP Congressional caucus that said"Dont fire Mueller cause if you do, the only thing left would be your impeachment" (I paraphrase)
@farmerman,
Remember the US SUPREME COURT had already ruled not to interfere with Pa Supreme Court Ruling that its Congressional Districting map was clearly gerrymandered and Unconstitutional. Judge Lito did the position statement.
Quote: — The United States Supreme Court on Monday refused to stop Pennsylvania’s highest court from requiring lawmakers there to redraw the state’s congressional map, which the state court had found to be marred by partisan gerrymandering.
The Supreme Court’s order was expected, as the Pennsylvania court had based its decision solely on the state constitution. On matters of state law, the judgments of state supreme courts are typically final.
The order, which gave no reasons, came from Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who acted without referring the case to the full court.
The Supreme Court has been busy lately addressing cases on partisan gerrymandering, in which the party in power draws voting districts to give its candidates lopsided advantages. It is considering two such cases, from Wisconsin and Maryland, and has intervened in a third one, from North Carolina. But all of those cases were decided by federal courts.
The latest decision, from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, struck down the state’s congressional map, saying it “clearly, plainly and palpably” violated the state’s Constitution. The court told state lawmakers to redraw the state’s 18 House districts, which currently favor Republicans, and it left open the possibility that it would impose its own map
Adam Liptak Feb 5, 2018 NYT
@farmerman,
farmerman wrote:Hmm, It seems its been the GOP Congressional caucus that said"Dont fire Mueller cause if you do, the only thing left would be your impeachment" (I paraphrase)
There are a handful of traitorous Republicans who like to attack their fellow Republicans because they are addicted to the temporary empty praise that they get from liberals when they do. That coward McCain is the most prominent of them.
I advise not taking them seriously.
@oralloy,
Lemme get this right:
So you only agree that the GOP Congressional caucus is only to be considered non-traitorous when they agree with your limited worldview?
I think you were born 80 years too late and on the wrong continent.
@Real Music,
Its an interesting comparison of a cynically developed gerrymandered map prior to the 2018 "new Map". The use of data mining was responsible for the gerrymandered version.
Oralloy calls folks who disgaree with him as "traitorous", in reality hes seeing how our government should work.An honestly derived Congressional District map should be sought in all states (OF COURSE there are several states that are Dem districted and these too must change to recognize the population distribution (not, as was what Pa had until Feb of this year, "Democrat Isolation")
@farmerman,
farmerman wrote:Oralloy calls folks who disgaree with him as "traitorous",
I call "people who stab their allies in the back in exchange for cheap praise from their enemies" traitors.
farmerman wrote:in reality hes seeing how our government should work.
I'm partial to non-traitors.
@coldjoint,
no the presidential counts were counts of votes and totalizing by electoral votes. DIFFERENT ALTOGETHER.(I made the same gaff a few years ago and Mr McGentrix corrected me-so Im passing it on for your edification)
The Pa GOP is trying to overturn our entire Democratic Republic by annullment of the state constitution. I guess thats ok with you and Oral and Gunga.
@coldjoint,
Then try to say what you mean pinky. Try being more logical. Are you speaking about how the information was used to create the district gerrymandered maps?
That is a story based upon data mining and kriging techniques that have been used to convince you to buy more useless **** in the supermarket. (BUT it still has little relevance to the congressional districts, the electoral results are tabbed AFTER the votes are counted)
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