New York’s Redistricting Process Isn’t Over, Continues to Play Out in Court

September 5, 2023

New York’s Redistricting Process Isn’t Over, Continues to Play Out in Court

The legal fight over redistricting in New York will continue to complicate 2024 races until sometime next spring. In an era where credible congressional campaigns start well ahead of election years, the impact of the redistricting battle is evident in the reticence of some potential candidates to declare. The redistricting process plays out every decade following the U.S. Census count, and the process often includes claims that the majority party is “gerrymandering” district lines to secure an electoral advantage. New York has been wrestling with this issue since the Democrat-controlled Legislature redrew the district lines after the 2020 Census. The map was supposed to be settled by an independent commission, but when they didn’t agree, the majority party drew their own map. That map was successfully challenged in court, and the map was thrown out. The court assigned a special master to begin the lengthy process all over again, and a new map was adopted. Ultimately, Republicans picked up four congressional seats, which led to a very small majority in the House of Representatives. Democrats in New York now support a lawsuit that seeks to toss out the 2022 lines established by the court-appointed special master. The most recent development in this ongoing battle saw the Appellate Division reverse a lower court ruling and direct the state redistricting commission to start work on new state congressional lines. Republicans have appealed the decision, sending the case to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. If the Court of Appeals upholds the lower court’s decision, the ruling could benefit Democrats in the 2024 battle for control of the U.S. House, as it would provide the Democratic-led state Legislature another opportunity to draw the lines in early 2024. The battle for control of Congress could, once again, be dependent on the outcome of this complicated dispute over New York’s political boundaries, which is set be argued before the Court of Appeals in mid-November.

Topics:

Uncategorized

State:

New York

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Learn More