The Pennsylvania state Supreme Court has ruled the state’s map of congressional districts is unconstitutional, and can’t be used in this year’s election cycle.

In a 4-3 split decision issued on Monday, the State Supreme court also ordered that the state Legislature must come up with a new map by March 19 which will be used in the 2018 midterm elections.

All 18 Pennsylvania congressional seats are on the ballot this year. But until a new map is released it’s unknown how the decision might affect those races.

Area districts

Congressman Matt Cartwright, D, has represented the 17th District — including all of Schuylkill County and parts of Carbon and Monroe since the map was first used in the 2012 congressional election. His district includes parts of six counties including Schuylkill, Carbon and Monroe. Whether that will still be the case when voters go to the polls this fall is not known.

“I don’t have a clear picture of how the districts in northeastern Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley may change, if at all. The court has left the drawing of a new map to the state legislature,” he said.

Cartwright said that he has been following the redistricting case closely because it was apparent the supreme court wished to tackle the issue of gerrymandering this year.

“And, given the ridiculous shapes of some of our Pennsylvania districts, for example, PA-7, it seemed likely that the Court would want to see a more sensible map in place.”

The two other congressional seats affecting the Times News area are both up for grabs as the incumbents are not seeking re-election.

Lou Barletta is challenging Bob Casey for his Senate seat, and Charlie Dent is retiring after 12 years in the House.

Barletta’s district includes parts of nine counties while Dent’s includes parts of five.

Court order

The existing map, which was adopted in 2011, has been criticized for having gerrymandered districts which are disjointed and include small portions of several counties.

Legislators now have until Feb. 9 to come up with a new map. Then Gov. Tom Wolf will have until Feb. 15 to approve it. If they don’t, the Supreme Court has threatened to redraw the map itself.

Legislators have been instructed to make the districts more relevant to existing political boundaries.

“Any congressional districting plan shall consist of: congressional districts composed of compact and contiguous territory; as nearly equal in population as practicable; and which do not divide any county, city, incorporated town, borough, township, or ward, except where necessary to ensure equality of population,” the order reads.

State lawmakers have a short time frame to come up with a new map. They have 18 days to submit a new plan to Wolf for approval.

In Harrisburg

State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Carbon/Luzerne, said he looks forward to working on a solution, while also pushing for Harrisburg to create an independent commission to draw up congressional and state legislative district maps.

“Today’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision gives power back to the voters and ensures that they will have a voice in choosing who represents them in Washington D.C.,” he said in a statement.

Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, said he would like to see the U.S. Supreme Court take up a case regarding congressional districts so there’s more uniformity in how districts are created in each state.

“The court decisions across the nation are in conflict and they must be resolved by the Supreme Court,” he said.

House Democratic leader Frank Dermody said the decision sends a strong signal that change is at hand in Pennsylvania politics and government, and is a victory for people over entrenched special interests.

“Gerrymandering, the voter ID law, shrinking the House and other measures that impact some communities more than others are cynical ploys by the Republican majority to choose their voters rather than letting voters choose their representatives in fair elections,” he said.

Dermody called the 2011 congressional map “contorted,” saying it never passed a simple eye test, and now has been determined by the state Supreme Court to not pass the legal test.

“House Democrats will be active participants in a bipartisan effort to meet the very tight deadline set by the court to enact congressional districts that are constitutional,” he said.

A spokesman for state House Republicans said the Supreme Court decision is a sign that elections have consequences, the elected Supreme Court narrowly rejected a map that has been used through three elections.

“It still needs to be pointed out that those maps did pass the House in a bipartisan fashion,” spokesman Stephen Miskin said. “Without Democrat votes they would not have passed the House.”

Miskin said that the 2010 census data, which will be used to develop the new maps, has been pointed out by some to be outdated. For example, he said, Pennsylvania has since dropped from the fifth-most populated state to the sixth.

“Some cynics might say these maps are going to start off immediately unconstitutional because they will violate the one person one vote doctrine, because you’re essentially using old data,” he said.