Fight over Democrat gerrymander is heading to NY state’s highest courtBy Zach Williams, Carl Campanile and Bernadette Hogan
April 21, 2022
A state appellate court has ruled in favor of Republicans seeking to throw out what they call a gerrymandered congressional map that unfairly benefits Democrats.
The decision gives state lawmakers until the end of the month to redraw the lines.
“It’s a victory for our contention that the Legislature violated the [state] Constitution when it drew the lines for Congress,” John Faso, a former Republican congressman who is advising the plaintiffs in the case, said following the ruling Thursday evening by the appellate division of state Supreme Court.
But Democrats, who have supermajorities in the state Senate and Assembly, are planning to challenge the decision to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.
“We are pleased the Court upheld the legislature’s process and the right for the legislature to enact these maps,” Mike Murphy, a spokesman for state Senate Democrats said in a statement following the ruling. “The newly-drawn Senate and Assembly maps are now valid. We always knew this case would end at the Court of Appeals and look forward to being heard on our appeal to uphold the Congressional map as well.”
The appellate division did not throw out new maps for state Senate and Assembly, which Republicans have also accused Democrats of gerrymandering despite a 2014 amendment to the state Constitution that forbids the practice.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/04/21/new-york-redistricting-fight-heads-to-state-court-of-appeals/
