Pennsylvania’s post-2020 congressional map was set by the state judiciary after an impasse between the governor and legislature. The General Assembly passed a plan that Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed on Jan.26, 2022, prompting the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to take jurisdiction, appointing Stanford’s Jonathan Cervas as special master. Cervas evaluated competing submissions under traditional redistricting criteria and state/federal law. On February 23, 2022, the Court adopted the “Carter” plan and adjusted the election calendar to accommodate implementation.  No later court orders altered that plan, so the Court-adopted map remains in effect.

For the General Assembly, Pennsylvania used its constitutional five-member Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC, comprised of the four legislative leaders plus court-appointed chair Mark Nordenberg). The LRC approved final House and Senate plans on February 4, 2022, after public hearings and revisions to preliminary drafts released in December 2021. Multiple challenges were filed directly in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; on March 16, 2022, the Court largely upheld the plans (while making limited administrative adjustments to deadlines), and ordered them into effect for 2022. As with Congress, those state legislative districts have remained operative since the Court’s 2022 rulings.

last updated: Oct 2025