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Voters Who Got District Map Overturned Added To Federal Case

(Left) PA Supreme Court, (Right) Office of Lt. Gov. Mike Stack

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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