NEW YORK — 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 of the United States.
The New York Court of Appeals’ 4-3 decision could have major ramifications as Democrats seek more favorable district lines in state next year. Republicans, who gained control of the House after flipping seats in New York, tried to keep the map in place.
The state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission will now be tasked with coming up with new districts, which will then be presented to the Democratic-controlled Legislature for approval. The court ordered the commission to submit a map by 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 that process, not districts drawn by the courts.”
The ruling is an early but important step in Democrats’ plans to win back a handful of congressional districts in New York that are considered vital to winning the majority in the House.
“Today’s decision is a victory for democracy and particularly for the people of New York. “We look forward to getting the Independent Redistricting Commission back to work creating a new and fair legislative map, through the process New York voters intended,” said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Campaign Committee for The congress.
Democrats sued to have last year’s maps thrown out after his party lost seats in the New York City suburbs and hand control of the House to the Republicans.
The case occurred after state Democrats made a mistake in the process of redistricting for the 2022 elections and, along with what many considered political miscalculations at the top of the state ticket, were blamed for the party’s loss of the House.
The maps used last year were supposed to be drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission. But the commission, made up of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, failed to reach a consensus and ultimately gave up.
Then the state Legislature stepped in and drew its own map, which was created in a way that gave Democrats a significant advantage by concentrating Republican voters in a few super districts, diluting the GOP’s voting power in the rest of the state. . A legal challenge prevented Democrats’ map from moving forward, and the Court of Appeals ruled that the state did not follow proper procedure in adopting the maps.
Instead, the court had an independent expert draw a new set of lines that, along with strong GOP involvement, led Republicans to flip seats in the New York City suburbs and gain control of the House. in 2022.
Democrats then filed their own lawsuit to block last year’s maps from being used in 2024, and the case went 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 chance 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 to gerrymander the maps,” said Savannah Viar, 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 dedicated significant financial and campaign resources to winning back districts in New York next year. Republicans aim to hold on to the seats, focusing on issues such as crime and the influx of immigrants that they hope will energize suburban voters.
Still, the redistricting process is far from over. A new map will likely result in another legal challenge, and both Republicans and Democrats will closely monitor the commission’s work.
“We’re going to have a very busy holiday season in redistricting to have maps ready by February,” said Jeffrey Wice, a professor at New York Law School who focuses on redistricting.
2023-12-13 14:59:24
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