[JURIST] Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday denied [docket] a request to stay [text, PDF] a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order to redraw the 2011 congressional map.

If granted, the stay would have blocked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling [opinion, PDF] that the Congressional Redistricting Act of 2011 violated the state constitution. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court had ordered the Pennsylvania General Assembly to submit a new redistricting plan by February 9 or the court would create one.

Alito did not refer [ABA report] the case to the rest of the Supreme Court.

Multiple state officials outside of Pennsylvania had urged [JURIST report] Alito to block the gerrymandering decision.

Although he was named as a defendant in the suit, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf [official profile] praised [press release] the decision. “Gerrymandering is wrong and we must correct errors of the past with the existing map. My team is ready, willing and able to work with the General Assembly to ensure a new map is fair and within the clear orders given by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.”

Last week the Pennsylvania Senate president refused [JURIST report] to turn over redistricting data to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.