Albany, New York– Republicans are looking to the US Supreme Court to block the redrawing of boundaries for the only red congressional seat in New York City, after suffering a devastating loss in state court on Thursday.
The attempts to block U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ district change are the latest moves in a winding legal battle that could have major implications in this year’s fight for control of the House.
State judge He threw boundaries Last month, after a Democratic Party-aligned election law firm alleged the district diluted the power of black and Latino voters in Staten Island and South Brooklyn.
After weeks of uncertainty, the state Court of Appeals issued a summary decision Thursday that sided with Democrats, effectively telling the state’s redistricting commission to begin work on a new congressional map.
Now, Republicans are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will intervene, after Malliotakis and GOP election officials last week filed emergency appeals seeking to suspend the original ruling.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has been clear and unequivocal: race-based redistricting violates the U.S. Constitution,” Malliotakis said in a statement Thursday. He added, “I look forward to the Supreme Court’s intervention in this case to uphold the rule of law and preserve the integrity of our elections.”
The Supreme Court recently allowed it Texas and ca To use new maps for this year’s elections.
The new lines in Malliotakis’ district could provide an opportunity for Democrats in this year’s midterm elections, as both political parties were desperate to gain any advantage in their battle for control of the House.
But the redrawn map is still far from clear even as candidate petitions — a vital step for getting on the ballot — begin next Tuesday. Even if the Supreme Court refuses to intervene, it will take some time for the government committee tasked with drawing new lines to complete the politically sensitive task.
The uncertainty resonates beyond Malliotakis’ district as well, because changing one region’s boundaries affects others, said Blair Horner of the Public Interest Research Group in New York.
“The clock is not friendly to the candidates in this case — unless the courts rule that Perelman got it wrong and everything stays the same,” Horner said, referring to lower court judge Jeffrey Perelman, who struck down the district limits.
In the appeal to the Supreme Court, Malliotakis’ attorney wrote that Perelman’s ruling threw “New York’s upcoming elections into disarray.”
She asked the Supreme Court to make a decision by Monday, so the petition could begin the next day under the current congressional map. The Trump administration’s Justice Department filed a brief supporting the requests.
Democrats were asked to submit documents to the Supreme Court on Thursday, although it is not clear exactly when the court will rule on the New York case.