A new state-court lawsuit filed on October 27 challenges New York’s existing congressional map and specifically targets New York’s 11th District, the city’s lone GOP-held seat covering Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. Four voters, represented by the Elias Law Group, allege the district’s current configuration unlawfully dilutes the voting power of Black and Latino residents in violation of New York law, and ask the court to redraw the lines before 2026. The case names the New York State Board of Elections as defendant and was filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court. The plaintiffs point to racially polarized voting and demographic changes on Staten Island to justify a new remedial district. Specifically, they claim that the district violates the New York Voting Rights Act, adopted by the State Constitution in 2014.
The filing arrives as both parties pursue mid-decade redistricting around the country and can be seen as an effort by Democrats to force a New York redraw that could make the 11th District more favorable to their candidates. New York is among the Democratic-led states exploring responses through litigation or constitutional change rather than an immediate statewide redraw due to legal and procedural constraints. For context on New York’s current map, the state adopted a new congressional plan for the 2024 elections after the Court of Appeals sent the map back to the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC), which had previously deadlocked on a map. The IRC finally adopted a map in mid-February of 2024. Lawmakers then rejected the IRC proposal and passed their own map. Governor Kathy Hochul signed it on February 28, 2024. See more on the New York Redistricting Almanac Page.
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