Partisan Gerrymandering

The practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to favor one political party over another, diluting the voting power of the opposing party’s supporters through ‘packing’ (concentrating them in one district) or ‘cracking’ (spreading them across multiple districts).

Example: Following the 2010 census, Pennsylvania’s congressional map was struck down by the state supreme court in 2018 (League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v. Commonwealth) as a partisan gerrymander that heavily favored GOP candidates under the state constitution.

Common misconception: Partisan gerrymandering is illegal under the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Rucho v. Common Cause (2019) that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of federal courts, leaving the issue to state courts and legislatures.

Sources: https://www.supremecourt.gov/ — Rucho v. Common Cause (2019), holding partisan-gerrymandering claims non-justiciable political questions; https://www.pacourts.gov/ — League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v. Commonwealth (Pa. 2018), the state supreme court decision striking down Pennsylvania's congressional map