In a very close vote, PA House Bill 38 (the judicial gerrymandering bill) passed the judiciary committee, and will soon move to the PA House for a full vote. As a member of the judiciary committee, I voted no and will continue to speak out about the harms that would be caused by this bill.
The proposed legislation, which would allow legislators to create districts for judicial elections to give one party an advantage, is a dangerous attack on the independence of Pennsylvania’s courts.
It cannot be allowed to pass.
You can take action by reaching out to your state representative today, and by encouraging your personal network to do the same.
Use the above link to quickly send a pre-written email, call your legislators, and/or even tweet at them!
This is especially important if your state rep is a Republican, since defeating this bill will depend on getting moderate Republicans to break from their party. The fact that the bill only narrowly passed out of judiciary committee shows that our emails, calls, and tweets could sway the outcome of the House vote.
HB38 is an unprecedented attempt to disenfranchise voters, politicize the judicial branch, and undermine the independence of our courts. Instead of voters choosing our statewide judges and justices as an entire state, judicial districts created by legislators would virtually ensure the victory of one party in judicial elections.
There is no reason to elect judges by district, and our appellate courts already have judges from every part of Pennsylvania.
Put simply, this legislation is seeking a solution to a problem that doesn’t actually exist.
We need your voice. Please take action today.
Thank You,
Rep. Melissa Shusterman
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