Lawsuit filed against Gov. Hochul, Democratic lawmakers over new congressional maps

Governor Hochul not too long ago signed the payments into legislation establishing new boundaries for New York's new congressional, state Senate and Meeting districts.
AP / Mary Altaffer

ALBANY – Fourteen plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in opposition to Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday, alleging the new congressional strains authorised are unconstitutional.

The people declare in courtroom papers that the brand new maps violate a 2014 state legislation establishing the method to redraw district strains and additional, that the strains are gerrymandered to favor Democratic incumbents.

“The Individuals of New York in 2014 enshrined within the New York Structure an unique course of for enacting alternative congressional districts, whereas additionally prohibiting partisan and incumbent-protection gerrymandering,” wrote attorneys Bennet J. Moskowitz, George H. Winner, and Misha Tseytlin within the lawsuit filed in Steuben County Supreme Court docket.

The petition is filed in opposition to Hochul, Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, state Senate Majority Chief Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie, the New York State Board of Elections and the New York State Legislative Activity Drive on Demographic Analysis and Reapportionment.

Hochul signed the payments that can set up the new boundaries for New York’s new congressional in addition to state Senate and Meeting districts in 2023 into legislation round 7 p.m. Thursday night, simply hours after the legislature authorised the proposals.

“The Legislature had no authority to enact the brand new map as a result of the Legislature didn't comply with the unique course of for enacting alternative maps that the Individuals enshrined by means of the 2014 amendments, that means that the congressional map is totally void,” wrote the attorneys within the 67-page petition.

The map exhibits new boundaries drawn for New York.

“This Court docket ought to expeditiously undertake a brand new map—previous to the approaching deadlines for candidates to entry the poll—to remedy the malapportionment now affecting the post-2010-census congressional map.”

“If this Court docket holds that the Legislature by some means had the authority to undertake a alternative map however these procedural failures, this Court docket ought to reject it as a matter of substance, because the map is an clearly unconstitutional partisan and incumbent-protection gerrymander. If this Court docket takes this strategy, it ought to invalidate the map after which ship it again to the Legislature to create a brand new congressional map, which complies with the legislation,” they stated.

A supply instructed The Submit attorneys are additionally mulling submitting a separate federal lawsuit that may goal particular districts, ought to the state courts deny the problem. 

“The maps simply signed into legislation are unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders that try to rig New York elections for the following decade in defiance of the need of the voters and with blatant disregard for New York’s Structure. These new maps should be struck down,” stated the attorneys in a press release. 

Reps for Hochul, Benjamin, Stewart-Cousins, Heastie and the state Board of Elections didn't reply to a direct request for remark.