A New York court agreed to allow the state to redraw its congressional map on Tuesday, issuing an order that could give Democrats another shot at drawing the state maps in their favor.
In an opinion issued on Tuesday afternoon, the court ordered the state’s redistricting commission to draw new maps by February 28, 2024. The state’s Democratic-controlled legislature will get final say over the map, however.
Democratic lawmakers in the state bungled a gerrymander last year, passing maps that so significantly boosted their congressional prospects that state courts tossed them in favor of a court-drawn map.
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A group of New York voters backed by a top Democratic election law firm sued earlier this year and demanded that the state’s redistricting commission be reconvened to redraw maps. Republicans opposed the measure, because the Democratic-controlled legislature can overrule the commission and draw their own maps.
New York Democrats may face significant pressure to again attempt to gerrymander their state, as the U.S. House is narrowly divided. Democrats have challenged Republican gerrymanders around the country, securing a few wins in the south, but Republicans undermined any political gains when they redrew North Carolina’s state maps this year.
