Scranton v. Drew
Headline: Vacates a federal court’s ruling and sends Pennsylvania legislative-district litigation back for reconsideration after new rulings, affecting how Pennsylvania officials and voters prepare for upcoming elections.
Holding:
- Sends the case back to district court for reconsideration under new legal rulings.
- Pressures Pennsylvania lawmakers to enact a new, constitutionally valid legislative plan by the deadline.
- Creates uncertainty for election planning for candidates, officials, and voters in Pennsylvania.
Summary
Background
A federal district court in Pennsylvania had held the State’s January 1964 laws that set legislative districts invalid under the Fourteenth Amendment and had barred elections under those maps, but it stayed that bar while the case was appealed. After that decision, this Court issued Reynolds v. Sims and several companion rulings on June 15, 1964. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court then reviewed the state constitutional provisions on September 29, 1964, declared the specific 1964 district laws unconstitutional, and kept the case open while expecting the Legislature to act.
Reasoning
The question before the Justices here was what to do with the District Court’s judgment given these intervening higher-court and state-court developments. The per curiam opinion vacated (set aside) the District Court’s judgment and sent the case back to the lower court for further consideration in light of the new United States Supreme Court decisions and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling. In short, the Court allowed the lower court to reassess relief and the legal posture of the case now that later decisions have changed the legal landscape.
Real world impact
This ruling means the earlier federal ruling no longer stands as final and Pennsylvania officials, candidates, and voters must await the lower court’s reconsideration. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said it expects the Legislature to adopt a constitutionally valid reapportionment plan promptly and warned it would take action if the Legislature failed to act by September 1, 1965. Because this decision merely vacates and remands, the ultimate outcome for district lines and elections could still change.
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