ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts before the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the House of Representatives.
The New York Court of Appeals’ 4-3 ruling could have major ramifications as Democrats want more favorable districts in the state next year. Republicans, who took control of the House after flipping seats in New York, sought to keep the map in place.
The state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission will now be responsible for proposing new districts, which will then be subject to approval by the Democratic-controlled Legislature. The court ordered the commission to file a map no later than February 28.
“In 2014, New York voters amended our Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an independent redistricting commission,” Chief Justice Rowan D. Wilson wrote for the majority. “The Constitution requires this process, not court-appointed districts. »
The move marks an early, but important, step in Democrats’ plans to retake a handful of New York congressional districts considered to be essential to winning a majority in the House.
“Today’s decision is a victory for democracy and in particular for the people of New York. We look forward to the Independent Redistricting Commission getting back to work to create a fair new congressional map – through the process New York voters want,” said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Congressional Campaign Committee. Democrat.
Democrats Sued to Have Last Year’s Maps Thrown After Their Party seats lost in New York suburbs and handed control of the House to the Republicans.
The case came after state Democrats failed the redistricting process for the 2022 election, and alongside what many see as political miscalculations at the top of the state’s ticket, has been blamed for the party’s loss of the House.
The maps used last year were supposed to have been drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission. But the commission, made up of equal parts Democrats and Republicans, failed to reach a consensus and ultimately gave up.
The state legislature then stepped in and drew its own map, which was drawn in a way that gave Democrats a major advantage by cramming Republican voters into a few super districts, thereby diluting the GOP’s voting power in the rest of State. A legal challenge blocked the Democrats’ map from moving forward, and the Court of Appeals ruled that the state did not follow proper procedure when adopting the maps.
Instead, the court asked an independent expert to draw a new series of lines that, coupled with strong Republican Party turnout, led Republicans to flip seats in the New York suburbs and take control of the House in 2022.
Democrats then filed their own lawsuit to block last year’s maps from being used in 2024, with the case going all the way to New York’s highest court. They argued that the court-drawn map was never intended to be used in more than one election and that the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission should be given another opportunity to draw the maps.
Republicans have argued that the districts are politically balanced and should not be discarded.
“We are disappointed but not surprised by the Court’s decision to allow Democrats a second attempt at redrawing the maps,” said Savannah Viar, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Instead of focusing on policies that appeal to ordinary voters, Democrats are trying to cheat their way to power. »
Democrats have devoted significant financial and electoral resources to winning back New York districts next year. Republicans aim to hold on to their seats, focusing on issues such as crime and arrival of migrants which, they hope, will animate suburban voters.
Yet the redistricting process is far from over. A new map will likely lead to another legal challenge, with the commission’s work closely watched by Republicans and Democrats.
“We’re going to have a very busy holiday redistricting period and have maps ready by February,” said Jeffrey Wice, a professor at New York Law School who focuses on redistricting.
