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Voters Who Got District Map Overturned Added To Federal Case

Matt Rourke
/
AP
People walk by the Pennsylvania Judicial Center Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2017.

Federal judges are letting voters who successfully challenged Pennsylvania's congressional district map fight a lawsuit by eight Republican congressmen seeking to overturn the decision.

The judges granted a request Thursday by the 18 voters to join the lawsuit as defendants, along with two senior state elections officials under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

The decision came during a session to sort out issues ahead of a hearing next week.

The GOP congressmen argue the state Supreme Court exceeded its authority in declaring the 6-year-old map unconstitutional, and didn't give state legislators enough time to develop a replacement before the court imposed its own map.

The 2011 Republican-drawn map was widely considered among the nation's most gerrymandered, as GOP candidates dominated Pennsylvania's congressional races in the three elections since.

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