March 16, 2022–The Public Interest Law Center and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund have released a statement on the recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision upholding the Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s (LRC) final plan for state house and senate district lines. The law firms filed an amicus brief supporting the redistricting plan, representing formerly incarcerated Pennsylvania voters […]
March 11, 2022 – Formerly incarcerated Pennsylvania voters and the NAACP – Pennsylvania State Conference have filed an amicus brief with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, supporting the Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC)’s decision to take a major step towards ending the practice of “prison gerrymandering” in their 2022 Pennsylvania state House and Senate redistricting plans. By […]
February 15, 2022 – The Public Interest Law Center has filed an amicus brief with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, supporting voters’ right to choose to vote by mail. The brief backs the appeal by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from the Commonwealth Court’s decision to strike down Pennsylvania’s expansion of mail-in voting, Act 77. This law, […]
February 23, 2022–Today, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued an order selecting the map proposed by the Carter plaintiffs as Pennsylvania’s congressional map for the next decade. We represented a group of Pennsylvania voters who are deeply committed to free and equal elections. These voters, known as the Ali et al amici, submitted a proposed […]
January 24, 2022 — Today, a group of Pennsylvania voters who are deeply committed to free and equal elections have weighed in on congressional redistricting for the Commonwealth. They submitted a proposed plan as part of an amicus brief and expert report filed in two consolidated cases – Carter v. Chapman and Gressman v. Chapman—which […]
December 31, 2021 – The congressional redistricting process in Pennsylvania appears to be at an impasse. A map drawn by the Pennsylvania House Government Committee, controlled by Republicans, has drawn sharp rebuke from Democratic Governor Tom Wolf. In two consolidated cases, Carter v. Degraffenreid and Gressman v. Degraffenreid, voters are asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court […]
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. If you need help or have questions at the polls, or witness any voter harassment or intimidation, call the national Election Protection hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). We are proud to be part of the coalition of organizations across the country staffing this resource for voters, led by the Lawyers’ Committee […]
As Election Day approaches, your options to cast your ballot are becoming clearer. As always, you can choose to vote in person. Mail-in voting is also easy and secure. And, on September 17, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania cleared up many of the most pressing questions about voting by mail, when it ruled on five election-related issues in Pennsylvania Democratic Party v. Boockvar. A breakdown of the ruling, and what it means for voters, is below.
Any change to the voter-registration process of course requires adjustment. However, we at the Public Interest Law Center feel that our election officials’ top priority should be making voting easy for as many voters as possible. Moving the registration deadline closer to Election Day, as we have advocated for many years, will go a long way toward that goal.
The new report of the Pennsylvania Redistricting Reform Commission makes thoughtful, constructive proposals for changing the way Pennsylvania draws district lines. The Public Interest Law Center believes the report provides an excellent road map for much-needed reform.
