New York’s highest court blocks Democratic-drawn congressional map over gerrymandering
By Melissa Holzberg DePalo, CNN
New York’s highest court blocked the state’s Democratic-drawn congressional map Wednesday, concluding that the new boundaries represented a partisan gerrymander that violates the state constitution.
The court ruled that a new map must be created for the 2022 election. New York’s primary election is scheduled for June 28, but the judges wrote it will “likely be necessary” to move the congressional elections to August.
The ruling is a blow to Democrats, as they had viewed redistricting in New York as one of their best chances to shape district lines in their favor. New York lost a congressional seat after the 2020 census, and the blocked map would have given Democrats an advantage in 22 of the state’s 26 congressional districts.
Two lower courts had already ruled that the map, which was drawn and passed by Democrats in the New York legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, was an unconstitutional gerrymander.
On Wednesday, the judges concluded the map was “drawn with impermissible partisan purpose” and “to discourage competition.”
In the 4-3 decision, the court also concluded that the process in which the congressional map was drawn “contravened” the state’s constitution. A 2014 amendment to New York’s constitution created an independent redistricting commission that was obligated to draw a plan for the congressional map and present that plan to the state legislature for a vote. After the commission’s first sets of district lines failed in the legislature, the commission did not submit a second plan. At that point, the state legislature drew the now-blocked map.
Instead of allowing the Democratic-led state legislature to pass a new map, Wednesday’s decision returned the issue to lower court Judge Patrick McCallister, allowing him to work with a special master to draw the map. McCallister already appointed Jonathan Cervas as a special master and said the new congressional map will be issued by May 24.
New York is one of four states without active congressional maps, joining Missouri, New Hampshire and Kansas, which had its map blocked on Monday.
The-CNN-Wire
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