Supreme Court Inaction Could Open New Front in Gerrymandering War

State courts could be a new battleground for groups challenging voter maps after the U.S. Supreme Court opted against intervening in a partisan gerrymandering fight in Pennsylvania.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. refused Feb. 5 to set aside a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order striking down the state’s Republican-drawn congressional voting districts. GOP lawmakers had argued the state court usurped the General Assembly’s redistricting power in its Jan. 22 order.

The legislature now has to develop new maps on an aggressive timetable ahead of midterm elections in November when Democrats nationally hope to flip 24 seats to wrest control of the ...