A change could be coming for how residents of Pennsylvania elect judges to the appellate court after a vote by the state house.
Republican State Representative Russ Diamond was one of the sponsors of the bill.
“Currently we elect all appellate court judges on a statewide basis,” Diamond said. “This legislature would create regional appellate court districts instead.”
The tight vote passed the house by only seven votes. Diamond said electing judges on a regional basis could bring more diversity to the court.
But, Democratic Representative Tim Briggs opposed the bill.
“Anyway you slice it, this bill is an attempt to rig the judiciary through judicial gerrymandering,” Briggs said.
The bill now moves to the state senate.