In a recent ruling, New York’s highest court has ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, potentially giving Democrats an advantage in the battle for control of the U.S. House. The court’s 4-3 decision requires the state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission to come up with new districts, creating a potential shift in favor of Democrats. The ruling comes after Republicans won control of the House by flipping seats in New York and sought to keep the existing map in place.
In 2014, New York voters amended the Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an Independent Redistricting Commission. The court’s ruling is an important step in Democrats’ plans to retake congressional districts seen as vital to winning a House majority. The decision followed a lawsuit by Democrats to have last year’s maps thrown out after their party lost seats in the New York City suburbs and handed control of the House to Republicans.
The previous maps were supposed to be drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission, but the commission failed to reach a consensus, and the state Legislature drew its own map. The Court of Appeals ruled that the state didn’t follow proper procedure in adopting the maps, leading to the current decision. Both Republicans and Democrats are preparing for a legal challenge to the new map, which is expected to be closely watched in the upcoming redistricting process.
Democrats have welcomed the decision as a win for democracy, while Republicans have expressed disappointment and accused Democrats of trying to cheat their way to power. The upcoming redistricting process will likely result in a fiercely competitive battle between the two parties. The Independent Redistricting Commission has until February 28 to file a new map, with the redistricting process expected to be closely watched by both parties.
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