Democrats scored a major win Wednesday evening after a Manhattan judge ruled Republican New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ district is unconstitutional and must be redrawn ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Democratic firm Elias Law Group, led by high-profile election lawyer Marc Elias, argued that Malliotakis’ district covering all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn eroded Latino and black New Yorkers’ voting power. Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman, an appointee of Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, ruled that the state’s independent redistricting commission must redraw the district by Feb. 6.
“Petitioners have shown through testimony and by empirical data that the history of discrimination against minority voters in CD-11 still impacts those communities today,” Pearlman wrote, adding that the current configuration is a “contributing factor” to the disenfranchisement of minority voters.
Malliotakis, a Latina who spoke Spanish at home growing up, has notably represented New York’s 11th district since 2021. She trounced her Democratic opponent by nearly 30 points in 2024. The district as currently drawn voted for President Donald Trump by 24 points that year. Staten Island is solidly Republican while the segment of southern Brooklyn in her district is more moderate-leaning.
It is unclear how significantly the redistricting commission will redraw the Republican-leaning district, but Democrats argued the seat should include deep-blue Lower Manhattan, which could complicate Malliotakis’ path to reelection.
New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, who lives in Lower Manhattan and is facing a primary challenge from left-wing former New York City comptroller Brad Lander, could switch districts and challenge Malliotakis if the commission draws a Democratic-friendly seat. This scenario would likely result in both Goldman and Lander, both white men, going to Congress.
Republicans slammed the ruling and are expected to have it appealed.
“We are reviewing the judge’s decision and our options to protect the voices of the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn,” Malliotakis said in a statement obtained by The New York Times. “Nothing changes the fact that this is a frivolous attempt by Washington Democrats to steal this congressional seat from the people, and we are very confident that we will prevail at the end of the day.”
“This was a partisan ruling made by a partisan judge in a case brought by a notoriously partisan attorney,” New York Republican Party chairman Ed Cox said in a statement following the ruling. “This entire exercise is a cynical attempt to enact an illegal partisan gerrymander under the guise of a voting rights case.”
Republicans control just seven out of the Empire State’s 26 House seats.
The ruling comes as states across the country have engaged in mid-decade redistricting to shake up the battle for House control in 2026. Though the battle is still playing out in several states, Democrats could ultimately pick up more seats than Republicans.
California voters, under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s direction, passed a ballot measure in November 2025 that could create up to five new Democratic-districts. Virginia and Maryland, two Democratic-led states, are also considering redrawing their congressional maps to eliminate GOP-held seats ahead of November.
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