This article may contain commentary
which reflects the author’s opinion.
A New York judge on Wednesday ordered the state to redraw the boundaries of the only Republican held congressional district in New York City, ruling the current map unconstitutionally diluted the voting power of Black and Hispanic residents.
The ruling immediately triggered plans for an appeal by Republicans and opened a new front in an escalating national redistricting battle with control of the US House at stake, CNN reported.
The decision comes as both political parties increasingly turn to map-drawing fights ahead of this year’s midterm elections, where Republicans are defending a narrow House majority.
About one-third of states have considered redrawing congressional maps since President Donald Trump urged Republicans to pursue new district lines to protect their advantage in the House.
Democrats have responded by launching redistricting efforts of their own, though in some states those efforts have been constrained by anti-gerrymandering laws passed by Democratic legislatures in previous years.
In New York, State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman ruled that the district represented by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis must be reconfigured.
The district currently spans southern Brooklyn and Staten Island and is the only congressional seat in New York City held by a Republican.
The lawsuit challenging the district was filed by an election law firm aligned with the Democratic Party.
Plaintiffs argued the district lines failed to account for demographic changes in Staten Island, particularly growth in the borough’s Black and Latino population.
They claimed the current boundaries diluted the voting power of those communities in violation of constitutional protections.
Pearlman agreed, writing that there was strong evidence of racially polarized voting and a history of discrimination that continues to affect political participation and representation.
The judge also cited evidence that racial appeals are still used in modern political campaigns.
Republicans sharply criticized the lawsuit, calling it a partisan effort to eliminate one of the last remaining GOP districts in the state.
They argued the case was designed to flip the seat under the guise of protecting minority voting rights.
In a statement, Malliotakis said, “This is a frivolous attempt by Washington Democrats to steal this congressional seat from the people and we are very confident that we will prevail at the end of the day.”
Republican leaders have signaled they will appeal the ruling.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has previously said she intends to engage in the national redistricting fight but has faced limited legislative options to alter the state’s congressional map before the election.
New York’s current congressional map was drawn by Democrats in the state Legislature and signed into law by Hochul in 2024.
The map was designed to improve Democratic prospects in several competitive districts following earlier court rulings that invalidated previous lines.
Democrats picked up several seats under the new map, though Republicans ultimately won control of the House.
Pearlman’s ruling found that the district’s configuration improperly grouped Staten Island with parts of Brooklyn rather than with other communities.
The court concluded Staten Island shared greater commonality with Manhattan’s Financial District than with neighboring Brooklyn neighborhoods connected by the Verrazzano Bridge.
Republican critics disputed that conclusion, arguing the district’s communities differ significantly in character, demographics, and political culture.
The decision has drawn national attention as Republicans debate whether to aggressively counter Democratic redistricting efforts in other states.
Vice President JD Vance has publicly criticized Republican leaders in Indiana for declining to redraw their congressional lines in response to Democratic actions elsewhere.
Vance targeted Indiana State Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray following redistricting moves in Virginia that reduced the number of Republican leaning seats.
“I’d like to thank Rodric Bray for not even trying to fight back against this extraordinary Democrat abuse of power,” Vance wrote on X.
“We told you it would happen, and you did nothing,” he wrote.
