New York’s highest court has thrown out a congressional map that was drawn by the Democratic-controlled state legislature.
In a 4-3 vote on Wednesday, the Court of Appeals found that the new maps violated the state’s Constitution.
As NBC News notes, “In 2014, New York voters created a bipartisan commission redistricting process, writing anti-gerrymandering reforms into the state’s constitution.”
“But when the commission failed to produce a final set of maps, the Democratic-controlled legislature drew and enacted their own maps earlier this year,” it added.
BREAKING: NY top court says NY redistricting maps are "procedurally unconstitutional, and the congressional map is also substantively unconstitutional as drawn with impermissible partisan purpose …"
— Yancey Roy (@YanceyRoy) April 27, 2022
Chief Judge Janet DiFiore said that the map was “substantively unconstitutional as drawn with impermissible partisan purpose.”
She also wrote that the legislature chose to “compose its own redistricting maps with impunity.”
The court also tossed a map for the state’s Senate districts.
DiFiore rejected a request to let the new map stay in place for the 2022 election. She wrote, “We reject this invitation to subject the People of this state to an election conducted pursuant to an unconstitutional reapportionment.”
According to The New York Times, the court “indicated that party primaries for the congressional and State Senate districts would have to be postponed from June until August.”
However, it did not address whether the primaries for governor and state Assembly should be delayed.
Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report reacted to the ruling, tweeting, “NY’s top court has turned Dems’ 2022 House outlook from terrible to potentially horrific.”
“A court-appointed special master will draw a remedial map, perhaps costing Dems three NY seats they otherwise would have gained [and] making [Republicans] clear redistricting winners,” he added.
In a 4-3 ruling, NY's top court has turned Dems' 2022 House outlook from terrible to potentially horrific. A court-appointed special master will draw a remedial map, perhaps costing Dems three NY seats they otherwise would have gained & making Rs clear redistricting winners.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 27, 2022
The Times notes that the map was expected to give Democrats the advantage in 22 of the state’s 26 congressional districts.
Additionally, Democrats were hopeful the map would give them a chance to pick up three House seats.
Republicans need to pick up just five seats to win control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections.
