Congressional district battle continues amidst latest ruling from New York Court of Appeals

ALBANY, NY- Just when it appeared that things had been settled, the battle over congressional district lines across New York drags on amidst the latest Court of Appeals ruling this week.

On Tuesday, New York’s highest court said the state must construct new congressional districts before the 2024 elections, which may give an advantage back to the Democrats after Republicans took control of the House by flipping key seats in 2022.

This development is according to the Associated Press. It’s reported that a state bipartisan independent redistricting commission will be tasked with designing these new districts no later than the end of February, drawing reactions from lawmakers representing the North Country.

“This 180-turnaround demonstrates the blatant and obvious politicizing of the state’s highest court which previously rejected Democratic-drawn maps after a deadlocked redistricting commission failed its mission,” State Senator Joe Griffo said.

“Instead of having the next legislative session focused on providing relief, we will be wasting time debating congressional lines that already gave candidates a fair election to begin with,” said State Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush.

In response, Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James issued this joint statement: “Today’s redistricting decision will ensure all New Yorkers are fairly and equitably represented by elected officials. As the Court of Appeals reaffirmed today, district lines should be drawn by the Independent Redistricting Commission. We will continue our efforts to protect voting rights for all New Yorkers.”

The new state legislative session is aimed to begin after the new year.

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