New York Republicans rushed to the Supreme Court Friday to ask the justices to block a last-minute attempt to redraw a GOP-held congressional district.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who holds the seat, filed a petition, as did Republican members of the state’s elections board.
A state court found that the district, which covers all of Staten Island and the southern tip of Brooklyn, illegally dilutes the votes of Black and Hispanic residents.
The court vacated the current map and directed the state’s map-drawing commission to redraw the lines to add more of those minority voters to the district so they can play a “decisive” role in primary elections. A change would make the district more likely for a Democratic pickup.
Candidates are slated to begin circulating petitions to get on the ballot later this month, leaving the Republicans little time to object to the last-minute changes. And given that other districts would have to be redrawn, too, the entire state congressional election process will have to be delayed, the Republicans argued.
“Applicants and the people of New York have the right to conduct their congressional elections under the lawful map that the New York Legislature adopted starting on February 24, free from a judicial mandate that violates multiple provisions of the United States Constitution,” the congresswoman said in her petition to the justices.
They have asked New York appellate courts to step in, but so far that’s proved fruitless, so they said they were compelled to turn to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The case arises amid a much broader battle over redistricting.
The Supreme Court has already been asked to overturn a new Republican-oriented gerrymander from Texas and a Democrat-drawn map in California.
The justices allowed the new maps to stand in both instances.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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