An appeals court in New York ordered state leaders to redraw the congressional map on Thursday — which could prove to be a big boon for Democrats nationwide, and a major setback for Republicans seeking to hold the House next year.
The ruling now opens the door for district lines across the Empire State’s 26 congressional districts to be shifted away from those in the court-drawn map adopted in 2022 after Republicans successfully challenged the Democratic-led legislature’s map.
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In response, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “The Appellate Division decision confirms that the New York State Constitution requires congressional district lines be drawn by an independent redistricting commission. In contrast, the current congressional map was drawn by an unelected, out-of-town Special Master appointed by an extreme right-wing judge, who himself was handpicked by partisan political operatives. It’s important that the Independent Redistricting Commission get to work expeditiously and present a map that fairly reflects the racial, ethnic, cultural, regional and socio-economic diversity of our great state.”
On Thursday, the appellate division of the state Supreme Court sided with the Democratic Party, that argued in a lawsuit that the district map that was drawn for the 2022 midterms was only meant to be temporary.
The current map was drawn by a special master who had been appointed by the state Supreme Court after it ruled that Democrats had unfairly gerrymandered the previous map. That ruling took the responsibility for redistricting out of the hands of the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC).
However, a five-judge panel on Thursday voted 3-2 in favor of ordering the IRC to “commence its duties forthwith” and redraw the state map.
