NEW YORK – A New York judge on Wednesday refused to rule out new political maps outlining state Assembly district lines, saying that while poorly drafted, opponents had waited too long to join the lawsuit challenging them in the courts.
If upheld, Judge Patrick McAllister’s decision would give Democrats a small victory in the redistricting battle in New York. Previous court rulings struck down the party’s favorite new maps for state Senate and US House of Representatives districts as unconstitutional.
In his ruling, McAllister said the state Assembly district maps were also “unconstitutional as enacted” by the state Legislature.
But the judge said it would cause “total confusion” to allow people who question the Assembly maps, Democratic activist Gary Greenberg and conservative political commentator Gavin Wax, to join an ongoing lawsuit over the Senate and House maps. Congress.
McAllister said Greenberg and Wax knew about the lawsuit when it was filed in February: “However, they chose not to do anything at the time.”
The judge said the couple could still file a separate lawsuit challenging the Assembly’s maps. But he said allowing them to make their case in the ongoing lawsuit would likely mean New York wouldn’t have all of its maps ready in time for this year’s primary.
–
