WASHINGTON, April 28 (UPI) -- A U.S. Supreme Court plurality ruled Wednesday in a Pennsylvania case that the courts cannot rule on challenges to political gerrymandering.
The ruling could change the U.S. political landscape and affect similar disputes in Texas and elsewhere.
Pennsylvania Democrats had challenged a GOP plan by the Pennsylvania General Assembly that redrew U.S. congressional districts in highly irregular shapes to give Republican candidates an advantage.
The Democrats complained even though their party's candidates may receive more votes statewide, Republican candidates could win significantly more of the state's congressional elections.
A four-justice plurality led by Justice Antonin Scalia ruled that political gerrymandering claims are "non-justiciable" because no standards for judging such claims exist.
Justice Anthony Kennedy agreed with the Scalia bloc in dismissing the Democrats' suit, but said all judicial relief should not be closed off.
The court's four liberal justices each filed a dissenting opinion.
Dissenting Justice John Paul Stevens said, "The concept of equal justice under law requires the state to govern impartially."
