UPDATED: State Supreme Court Throws Out Redistricting Maps

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 10:34 a.m. Thursday to include source documentation and additional information.

The state Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out the new legislative redistricting map, saying it was "contrary to law."

The Post-Gazette reported that the opinion was issued Wednesday, and that as a result, nominating petitions for those seeking state House and Senate seats would be pushed back two days.

Reached on the matter, state , D-Cecil, whose district was substantially changed by the map said, "This could be utter chaos for everybody. When the Supreme Court reaches its opinion we'll see exactly what kind of changes the Legislative Redistricting Commission needs to make and hopefully they can be addressed quickly and efficiently."

State  added: "It shows you the map does not meet constitutional muster. It will be interesting to see how the state reacts. For now it is too early to tell if my district is going to change at all."

In his dissenting opinion, Supreme Court Justice Thomas Saylor wrote:

"Based on the petitions, briefs, and argument, I am not persuaded that the 2011 Legislative Reapportionment Plan is contrary to law as reflected in the existing precedent. Although I am receptive to the concern that past decisions of the court may suggest an unnecessarily stringent approach to equalization of population as between voting districts, I believe this could be addressed via prospective guidance from the court."

Check back with Canon-McMillan Patch for more information.