By Saba Hamedy, CNN

(CNN) -- A federal court has ruled against Republicans challenging a redrawn Pennsylvania congressional district map that will take effect in time for the state's May primary.

The ruling comes after eight Republican state lawmakers in the state attempted to block the new map, which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court got rid of after determining its congressional districts were drawn to unfairly benefit Republicans.

A separate case brought by other GOP leaders in the state house and Senate is still pending before the US Supreme Court.

Republicans in the Pennsylvania legislature challenged the new maps in federal court. The US Supreme Court previously refused to hear a challenge to the state high court's ruling that the previous maps were drawn in a way that violated the Pennsylvania Constitution.

The new maps appear more compact and suburban than the existing district boundaries and an alternative that state legislative Republicans had submitted -- and one of those districts is now made up of just Montgomery County, a Democratic stronghold that the GOP had proposed dividing heavily.

Bloomberg earlier reported the ruling.

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