New York’s highest court has voided a Democratic-drawn congressional map calling the process “unconstitutional.”
The ruling came about from a last-ditch appeal by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to rescue a redistricting map that overwhelmingly favored Democrats.
In the end, the Court of Appeals ruled the map represented a partisan gerrymander.
The last congressional map approved in 2012 had eight Republican-leaning congressional districts. Democrats rammed their most recent version through the state legislature “without any Republican input” or “a single Republican vote.”
It had only four GOP-leaning seats.
Before today’s ruling, lawmakers in Albany had two days left to submit a new map, following a New York appellate court’s April 22 decision that the Hochul-endorsed map violated the state’s ban on partisan gerrymandering.
There are between eight to 10 GOP-leaning seats in the maps proposed since the appellate court’s decision.
Today, the high court ruled that a court-appointed expert will redraw the new districts. It’s unclear how closely their map will match the proposals submitted in the past week.
The new map will likely save Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and help the GOP pick up multiple seats statewide.
Click here to read the court’s decision.
Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C., metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.
