GOP lawmaker seeks impeachment of justices in Pa. gerrymandering case

[bucolic_frolic]

Source: PennLive

Rep. Cris Dush, whose district include parts of Indiana and Jefferson counties, began circulating a memo seeking support for the longshot impeachment articles on Monday.

In it, he argues that the five Democratic justices who signed the order overturning the map of the state's 18 congressional districts as unconstitutionally gerrymandered "blatantly and clearly contradict[ed] the plain language of the Pennsylvania Constitution," and "engaged in misbehavior in office."

The court's order that the General Assembly redraw Pennsylvania's congressional map, which was handed down on Jan. 22, "overrides the express legislative and executive authority, found in Article IV, Section 15 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, concerning the Governor's veto authority and the General Assembly's subsequent authority to override such veto. Article IV, Section 15 clearly lays out the path a bill must take to become law."

Dush's memo includes impeachment articles for Justices Max Baer, David Wecht, Debra Todd, Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/02/gop_lawmaker_seeks_impeachment.html#incart_river_home

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Elections do matter. That's how we got 5 Democratic State Supreme Court Justices instead of 7 like this guy Dush.

[Ohiogal]

1. Oh for Pete's sake. What idiots.

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. GOP hates democracy and will do ANYTHING to circumvent it.

[Ohiogal]

3. It's the only way they can stay in power.

Lie and cheat.

[iluvtennis]

5. Indeed.

[Whiskeytide]

4. Jethro is a Justice on the PA ...

... Supreme Court? When did he get out of brain surgery?

[riversedge]

6. I have a feeling these repugs are serious...

.....Dush's memo includes impeachment articles for Justices Max Baer, David Wecht, Debra Todd, Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty.

Republicans in the Senate have separately tried to get Wecht kicked off the case. They have also challenged Donohue's impartiality.

*House State Government Committee Chairman Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, whose committee would likely handle Dush's proposal, dismissed the justices as "partisan hacks" who'd overstepped their authority.

"The court has ... early in this court's current makeup, ... showed their partisanship and their total disregard for the US Constitution and the Pennsylvania Constitution they decided to try and rewrite with their recent ruling," said Metcalfe, who has signed on as a co-sponsor to Dush's proposal. "So I think these judges have shown they are not justices at all, they're are partisan hacks that are sitting on the court.

Metcalfe could not provide a timeline for when Dush's bill might see action in his committee, noting that it had not been formally introduced yet.............

[bucolic_frolic]

7. They would have to act very quickly

The new districts must be written by Feb 9, and signed into law by the Governor by February 16.

So really, once that's done, they can impeach all they want.

Lightning Impeachment? No hearings, just a vote?

[DeminPennswoods]

13. Metcalfe again

If this is in his committee, expect it to be passed out of his committee and sent to the floor.

[Gothmog]

8. This is a stupid move even by a repug

[BumRushDaShow]

9. As bucolic frolic noted

they have until Friday to draw up a new map or the court will do it themselves.

[Blue_Tires]

10. For the record, this is how fascist autocracies operate

Link to tweet

[durablend]

11. Like cornered rats

Even the sane but maybe not liberal people are saying this is all bullshit and they're just trying to keep power whatever way possible.

[lagomorph777]

12. Boy are they scared silly.

And this is plain silly.