Pa. high court rejects remapping plan

Saylor, joined by J. Michael Eakin and Joan Orie Melvin, wrote that "although I am receptive to the concern that past decisions of the court may suggest an unnecessarily stringent approach to equalization of population as between voting districts, I believe this could be addressed via prospective guidance from the court."

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, a Delaware County Republican who served on the commission and voted yes on its report, said he was mystified by the ruling.

"We believe what was approved was in full compliance with existing precedent, the state constitution, and federal rules," Pileggi said.

"I think any objective observers would say the commission plan is superior to the 2001 existing plan in terms of number of municipalities split and population metrics."

He said he expected the commission to meet again as early as next week. If the court's instructions for fixes are minor, he said, changes could be made in a matter of days.

But if the required changes are broad, it could take months to redraw the map, he said, adding: "This is new territory."

The commission plan, as submitted to the court, was not without Democratic support. House Minority Leader Frank Dermody of Allegheny County voted for it. With or without his vote, the decision would have been the same.

He issued a statement Wednesday saying, "We respect the court's ruling on the plan, and I will work diligently with my colleagues on the commission to address the court's specific concerns as soon as those are made known."

Contact staff writer Tom Infield

at 610-313-8205 or tinfield@phillynews.com.