ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York'scongressional redistricting battleis headed to the state's highest court.
Republicans on Monday appealed a judge's decision totoss the linesof New York City's only GOP-controlled House seat, asking the state's high court to take up a case that could have national reverberations in the fight for control of Congress.
The appeal came just days after a lower court judge ruled U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis' Staten Island and Brooklyn district was drawn in a way that dilutes the power of its Black and Hispanic voters. The judge ordered the state's Independent Redistricting Commission to complete a new map by Feb. 6.
The case was filed by an election law firm aligned with the Democratic Party. It came as part of anational gerrymandering fightthat started after President Donald Trump pushed to craft new congressional districts in Republican-controlled states such as Texas.
In 2022, the New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals,rejected congressional mapsthat had been seen as helping Democrats and directed a court-appointed expert to redraw districts. It thenthrew out those mapsbefore the 2024 congressional elections. It was not immediately clear when the Court of Appeals would take up the most recent case.
The state's current House districts weredrawn by Democratsin the state Legislature, after theyrejected a proposalfrom the state's bipartisan redistricting commission. New York state is currently represented in the House by 19 Democrats and 7 Republicans.
