Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 20 February 2018
Pennsylvania's new congressional map could boost Democrats

By MARC LEVY "It's a straight Democratic
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — gerrymander by a Demo-
Pennsylvania's high court cratic Supreme Court to
issued a new congres- help Democrats," Harris
sional district map for the said. Meanwhile, sitting
state's 2018 elections on its congressmen, dozens of
self-imposed deadline on would-be candidates and
Monday, potentially giving millions of voters have to
Democrats a boost in their sort out which district they
quest to capture control of live in barely a month be-
the U.S. House unless Re- fore the candidates' dead-
publicans are able to stop line to submit paperwork
it in federal court. to run. Petitions are due
The map of Pennsylvania's March 20, a two-week de-
18 congressional districts is lay to accommodate the
to be in effect for the May redrawing process.
15 primary and substan- Democratic Gov. Tom
tially overhauls a congres- Wolf, who had backed the
sional map widely viewed court’s decision to throw
as among the nation's most out the 6-year-old map,
gerrymandered. The map called the court’s map an
was approved in a 4-3 de- “effort to remedy Pennsyl-
cision, with four Democrat- vania’s unfair and unequal
ic justices backing it and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, center, accompanied by state House Minority Leader Rep. Frank congressional elections.”
one Democratic justice sid- Dermody, right, D-Allegheny, and state Rep. Joe Markosek, left, D-Allegheny, discuss state bud- He said his focus would
get negotiations at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa.
ing with two Republicans (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) become ensuring that his
against it. administration update the
Most significantly, the new Democrats quickly cheered the Democratic Party lenge the map in federal state elections bureau’s
map likely gives Demo- the new map, which could chairman of Delaware court, arguing that legis- systems and ensure pro-
crats a better shot at win- dramatically change the County, which was ground latures and governors, not cesses are in place to help
ning seats in Philadelphia's predominantly Republican, zero for the "Goofy Kicking courts, have the constitu- candidates. The new map
heavily populated and all-male delegation elect- Donald Duck" district. "All tional responsibility to draw will not apply to the March
moderate suburbs, where ed on a 6-year-old map. that zigging and zagging is congressional maps. 13 special congressional
Republicans had held "It remedies the outrageous all gone, and it makes Del- Mark Harris, a Pittsburgh- election in southwestern
seats in bizarrely contorted gerrymander of 2011, and aware County a competi- based GOP campaign Pennsylvania’s 18th District
districts, including one la- that's the important thing, tive seat now." consultant, echoed the between Republican Rick
beled "Goofy Kicking Don- that the gerrymander be Republican lawmakers are reaction of Republicans in Saccone and Democrat
ald Duck." over," said David Landau, expected to quickly chal- bashing the new product. Conor Lamb.q

Gorsuch deciding vote in key labor union funding case

By MARK SHERMAN ment speech rights. 2016, the court heard an
WASHINGTON (AP) — "I'm not against unions," said identical complaint from
America's union leaders the employee, 65-year-old California teachers and
are about to find out if they Mark Janus, who is repre- appeared to be ready to
were right to fiercely op- sented by American Fed- decide that states have no
pose Neil Gorsuch's nomi- eration of State, County right to compel workers to
nation to the Supreme and Municipal Employees pay money to unions.
Court as a pivotal, po- Council 31. "I don't oppose But less than a month later,
tentially devastating vote the right of workers to orga- Justice Antonin Scalia died
against organized labor. nize. But the right to say no and the court soon after
The newest justice holds to unions is just as important announced its tie, in ef-
the deciding vote in a case as the right to say yes." He fect a win for the unions.
to be argued Feb. 26 that said he opposes his union's “Are you going to lose
could affect the financial fight for wage and benefit some people?” asked Lee
viability of unions that are increases when the state is Saunders, president of the
major supporters of Dem- "in pretty terrible financial American Federation of
ocratic candidates and This Sept. 28, 2017 photo shows Supreme Court Justice Neil Gor- condition right now." State, County and Munici-
causes. The unions repre- such speaking at the Trump Hotel in Washington. William Messenger, the Na- pal Employees. “Sure. I’m
sent more than 5 million (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) tional Right to Work Legal not going to lie to you.”
government workers in 24 Defense Foundation lawyer Three Nobel Prize-winning
states and the District of who don't want to be union complaints. Employees who is representing Janus economists and 33 other
Columbia who could be members to pay for their who don't join the union at the Supreme Court, said scholars described the po-
affected by the outcome. share of activities the union do not have to pay for the everything the union does, tential fallout as a classic
The other eight justices split undertakes on behalf of all unions' political activities. including its bargaining free-rider problem. “The
4 to 4 when the issue was workers, not just its mem- Conservative anti-union with the state, is political opportunity here is to re-
last at the court in 2016. bers. These so-called fair interests are backing an Il- and employees should not engage in a way that the
The court is being asked to share fees cover the costs linois government employ- be forced to pay for it. reason for unions in the first
jettison a 41-year-old ruling of collective bargaining ee who says that being The issue might have been place becomes a promi-
that allows states to require and grievance procedures forced to pay anything at settled in Janus' favor two nent reason again,” Wein-
government employees to deal with workplace all violates his First Amend- years ago. In January garten said.q