Judge orders New York congressional map redrawn, striking down GOP district
Jan. 22 (UPI) — A New York court judge has ordered the state to redraw its congressional map, striking down a Republican district and potentially giving the Democratic Party an advantage in securing an additional seat in the upcoming midterm elections.
Justice Jeffrey Pearlman of the Supreme Court of the State of New York issued his ruling Wednesday, declaring New York’s 11th Congressional District unconstitutional as it unlawfully diluted the voting power of Black and Latino voters.
“It is clear to the Court that the current district lines of CD-11 are a contributing factor in the lack of representation for minority voters,” Pearlman wrote in his 18-page order.
“Petitioners have shown strong evidence of racially polarized voting bloc, … they have demonstrated a history of discrimination that impacts current-day political participation and representation and they have shown that racial appeals are still made in political campaigns today. Taken together, these circumstances provide strong support for the claim that Black and Latino votes are being diluted in the current CD-11.”
Pearlman ordered the district map to be redrawn by Feb. 6, though the ruling is expected to be appealed.
The lawsuit was filed in late October by New York voters who challenged the 2024 congressional map for maintaining what they called in the court document “a fatal substantive defect: it dilutes Black and Latino voting strength in CD-11.”
New York’s 11th congressional district encompasses all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. Held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, it is the only Republican seat in New York City.
In a statement, Malliotakis said she is reviewing the decision.
“Nothing changes the fact that this is a frivolous attempt by Washington Democrats to steal this congressional seat from the people and we are very confident that we will prevail at the end of the day,” she said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., celebrated the decision on Wednesday.
“This ruling is the first step toward ensuring communities of interest remain intact from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan,” he said in a statement. “The voters of New York deserve the fairest congressional map possible.”