Despite burgeoning public enthusiasm in Pennsylvania for an independent redistricting commission, it's not clear if the political will exists to pass the requisite constitutional amendment or whether it could be done in time for the next reapportionment.

But a recent federal court ruling has provided opponents of gerrymandering a new avenue to pursue.

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While Fair Districts PA and other organizations are fighting a multi-year battle to ensure parity in the next round of redistricting, a November ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin might have opened up opportunities for a quicker fix to  Pennsylvania’s current, much-maligned system.

Efficiency gap: A panel of federal judges ruled 2-1 in favor of a constitutional challenge to Wisconsin’s district maps. The challenge relied, in part, on a new mathematical standard to measure the extent of gerrymandering, dubbed the “efficiency gap model.”

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