Gerrymandering is spiraling into a full-blown power grab in multiple states.  What we’re seeing now in states like Texas is nothing more than Republican leaders pushing for mid-decade redistricting which breaks the usual ten-year cycle to redraw maps that favor their party.  We know that if Republicans can’t win – they cheat and bend the rules to their advantage.  They don’t even try to hide it. 
 
Texan Republicans, backed by Donald Trump, are trying to redraw the state’s congressional map to flip five Democratic seats.  Governor Greg Abbott called a special session to rush the process, and Democrats responded by fleeing the state to break quorum and block the vote.  Now, Democratic Governors are strategizing retaliatory redistricting potentially moving fast enough to shift control of the current House! 
 

Thanks to SCOPA kicking Goofy and Donald Duck out of the districts, Pennsylvanians finally got the chance to elect two kick-ass Democratic Congresswomen:  Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan. Both women fight every day for our Democratic values including reproductive rights, education equality, and economic justice. 
Representative Dean hit the ground running, backing transformative legislation like the For the People Act, a direct strike against voter suppression, gerrymandering, and political corruption! 

JUDGING THE SYSTEM:
GOOFY KICKED DONALD DUCK AND SCOPA KICKED BACK

Following years of Republican led redistricting District 7 had become one of the most gerrymandered districts in the nation. Its boundary was famously described as “Goofy kicking Donald Duck.”  It lassoed Reading into a Republican stronghold in Lancaster County, distorting representation and giving Republicans a 2:1 advantage in Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation, even though Democrats won most votes statewide.  Fair maps = fair elections and this was not a fair map! 
 
As a result, the League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit, arguing the map violated Pennsylvania’s constitutional guarantee of free and fair elections.  Thanks to the 2015 election of Justices Christine Donahue, Keven Dougherty, and David Wecht, the PA Supreme Court (SCOPA) had a Democratic majority, and they didn’t hesitate to act.  In January 2018, SCOPA ruled the map unconstitutional and drew a new one themselves when the GOP-led General Assembly failed to do so. 

Meanwhile, SCOTUS is chipping away at the very rights we fought so hard to obtain back in the seventies. On June 18, they upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors in a 6-3 decision. By doing this, they didn’t just ban healthcare - they sent a message that trans kids don’t count. 

“Pennsylvania is a better place when it’s fair. And right now, too many Pennsylvanians can legally be discriminated against because of who they are, because of how they identify in critical aspects of their lives, including housing, including education, and winning public accommodations.” PA State Representative Malcom Kenyatta (D-Philly)

In this edition of our ongoing series Judging the System, we’re shining a rainbow spotlight on LGBTQ+ rights in Pennsylvania from legacy to legislation, from protest to precedent.

These aren’t just distant legal battles.  Here in Berks County, LGBTQ+ kids and families live in a state where protections are not guaranteed.

On June 17, the Pennsylvania House voted 107–90 to pass Governor Josh Shapiro’s bold infrastructure plan with HB1364, a bipartisan push to repair roads, strengthen bridges, and invest in public transit for all 67 counties, including ours here in Berks.

In a party-line vote, Berks County State Representatives Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (PA 129), Manny Guzman (PA 127), and Jacklyn Rusnock (PA 126) stood in solidarity with their Democratic colleagues to advance HB 1549, a bill to raise the minimum wage.  Meanwhile, local Republicans: Gillen (PA 128), Weaknecht (PA 5), Maloney (PA130), Barton (PA 124), and Zimmerman (PA 99) voted against the measure.

Harvard is sharing FREE classes. Here are the ones we recommend.

Since 2015, Berks County has seen the number of registered Democratic voters drop faster and Republican numbers rise steeper than the rest of Pennsylvania. It’s a trend that should

Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz just scored a landslide legislative victory with the unanimous House passage (203–0!) of HB 1072 – The Taxpayer Relief Act. Her bill ensures