New York will redraw its congressional map ahead of the 2024 elections after the state’s top court dealt national Democrats a major win on Tuesday — ensuring voters will see their districts change for the second time in as many election cycles.
In a 4-3 decision, the Court of Appeals threw out New York’s current 26 congressional districts and cleared the way for the state Independent Redistricting Commission to begin drawing new boundaries. The court ruled that the bipartisan panel should get a second chance to finish its work after deadlocking in 2022.
The ruling comes just a year after the court ordered an independent mapmaker to draw the lines for the 2022 elections after an attempted Democratic gerrymander, which helped lead to Republicans picking up three seats in New York en route to winning a narrow House majority.
Despite Republican objections, the court ruled those districts were only temporary, remaining in effect only for the 2022 elections. Now, New York is likely to wind up with a new congressional map more favorable to Democrats, which could have significant national implications as the parties battle for control of the House next year with the GOP holding a razor-thin majority.
Democrats hailed the ruling as a victory for New Yorkers, while Republicans — and the court’s dissenting judges — painted it as an attack on democracy.
“As a result of the court’s enlightened decision, the Independent Redistricting Commission can now begin the process of drawing fair maps that give New Yorkers an opportunity to elect the representation they deserve,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Brooklyn Democrat who would be in line to become House speaker were his party to win a majority next year.
In a joint statement, New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik called the decision “plainly wrong on the Constitution and the law.”
“In their relentless pursuit of power at all costs, corrupt Democrats in…
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