Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

Pennsylvania Republicans were handed a pair of defeats Monday in their quest to keep old congressional maps in place for the 2018 midterms, potentially giving Democrats a boost when it comes to winning back the House in November.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined a request from Republican leaders to put the new congressional district map, imposed last month by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, on hold. Earlier Monday, in a separate case, a panel of federal judges dismissed a legal challenge by Republican congressmen to the new map.

The panel's decision, paired with the Supreme Court declining to block the new maps, makes it likely that this year's congressional elections in Pennsylvania will be conducted underdistrict lines widely viewed as more favorable to Democrats than a 2011 map the state court threw out in January.

The earlier map has been a campaign winner for Republicans, leading them to a 13-5 edge in the state's congressional delegation for all three elections in which it was used.

Before the new map, Democrats in Pennsylvania were looking to pick up two to three seats on a good night. With the new maps, Democrats have a shot at five to six seats.

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings. This site is protected by recaptcha

And with Democrats needing to pick up 23 seats to win back the House, those extra districts are a big deal.

The three-judge panel issued its decision with just