New York appeals court rules new congressional map illegally favors Democrats

A New York state appeals court on Thursday ruled that the state’s newly submitted congressional map illegally favored Democrats and “was drawn to discourage competition,” saying the state had until the end of the month to draw a new one.

The state appellate court said it factored in testimony from an elections analysis expert, a comparison of the 2012 and 2022 maps and “evidence of the largely one-party process used to enact the 2022 congressional map.”

The court argued that there was virtually no Republican involvement in the new congressional maps, saying Republican input was not included by Democratic leaders in the drafting of the state’s congressional districting map.

No Republicans voted in favor of the map in the legislature, either, the appellate court added.

The ruling noted that under the 2022 congressional map, there are four Republican-majority districts and 22 Democratic-majority districts; in comparison, in the 2012 map there were eight elected Republicans and 19 elected Democrats, indicating that the latest map was skewed blue.

The court also noted testimony and reports from elections analysis expert Sean Trende, who “largely relied on a computer simulation accepted in other jurisdictions and data-driven metrics in order to conclude that the enacted 2022 congressional map was drawn to disfavor competition and favor democrats.”

“Trende concluded that the enacted congressional map pressed republican voters ‘into a few [r]epublican-leaning districts, while spreading [d]emocratic voters as efficiently as possible,’” the court noted.

The appellate court ordered that the state legislature enact a new congressional map by April 30. 

An appeal of the decision to the New York Court of Appeals is expected by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and others, according to The New York Times.