NY State Ordered To Redraw Congressional Map That Led To GOP Flipping 4 Seats In 2022

A mid-level state appeals court issued a ruling on Thursday mandating the creation of new congressional boundaries for New York, the AP reports. This decision has the potential to favor Democrats in their bid to control the U.S. House during the 2024 elections.

The Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court overturned a previous ruling and instructed a state redistricting commission to commence the development of fresh proposals for the state’s congressional lines. Democrats have shown their support for this lawsuit, which aims to discard the 2022 district lines in New York, resulting in Republicans gaining four congressional seats.

Republicans promptly announced their intention to bring this politically charged case to New York’s highest court. “On to the Court of Appeals,” remarked former Republican Representative John Faso in a statement. He added, “Democrats seek to manipulate the congressional district boundaries in their favor. Currently, New York State has a greater number of competitive congressional districts than any other state in the nation.”

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of ten New York voters who desire the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to propose new congressional lines for the year 2024. The commission’s initial set of lines was rejected, leading to a court-appointed expert drawing the 2022 lines as a result of a lawsuit.

During the ongoing lawsuit, Republican attorneys argued that conducting redistricting during the middle of a decade is inappropriate and advocated for the 2022 lines to remain unchanged. However, Justice Elizabeth Garry, in a majority opinion, stated that the commission “had an undeniable obligation under the NY Constitution to present a second set of maps after the rejection of their initial set.”

Attorney Aria Branch, who represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, expressed, “New Yorkers deserve equitable boundaries and a fair process, which they voted for. Today’s ruling is a significant step in the right direction.”

The appeals court ordered the commission to commence its duties immediately. “We are eager to resume our work,” said Karen Blatt, the commission’s Democratic co-executive director. She further added, “We look forward to collaborating with our Republican counterparts as well.”

The Independent Redistricting Commission comprises an equal number of Democrats and Republicans but failed to reach a consensus on the 2022 district maps. The Democrat-controlled Legislature intervened and devised its own maps, which would have given Democrats a substantial majority of registered voters in 22 out of the state’s 26 congressional districts, leading to allegations of gerrymandering from Republicans.

Following a legal challenge, New York’s highest court determined that the Legislature lacked the authority to redraw the lines. The Court of Appeals then delegated the responsibility of creating new district maps to an expert, resulting in the formation of more competitive congressional districts.

Republicans were able to secure additional seats in New York based on these new maps, including the seat held by Democratic Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, who oversaw the House Democrats’ campaign efforts.

In April, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and State Attorney General Letitia James jointly filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the ongoing legal action.

Considering the promised appeal to the Court of Appeals, Jeffrey Wice, a professor at New York Law School, noted that the high court typically finds it easier to uphold a lower court’s decision rather than explain why they are overturning it. “There are no guarantees,” Wice stated, “but the Democrats’ chances of success have significantly improved.”

{Matzav.com}