Tipsheet

In 'Preordained' Decision, NY Court of Appeals Allows for New Maps for 2024, to Democrats' Delight

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  December 12, 2023 6:00 PM

On Tuesday, the New York Court of Appeals--which is the state's highest court--ruled in favor of Democrats in the Hoffman v. New York State Independent Redistricting Commission case, thus allowing for the redrawing of new maps ahead of the 2024 election, rather than wait for the new census. The 4-3 decision is a total win for Democrats who were less than pleased about how New York Republicans exceeded expectations in November of last year. Democrats blamed the maps that were drawn up by the courts after an independent commission deadlocked last year, throwing them into chaos.

In case there's any doubt as to just how much of a win for Democrats this is, here's how POLITICO began in their coverage:

ALBANY, New York — New York’s top court is giving Democrats another shot at drawing congressional lines in 2024, smoothing the path for pickups for the party in a state where they underperformed in 2022 and helped hand House control to Republicans.

A 4-3 decision by Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered a bipartisan commission that deadlocked last year to reconvene and produce new draft plans by the end of February.

The Democratic-dominated state Legislature will then vote on the new maps. If the maps are voted down by the commission, legislators would have the power to draw maps themselves.

Democrats applauded the ruling.

Lest anyone has any faith in the supposedly bipartisan commission, they can think again. The Democratic-controlled state legislature has to approve of the maps, and if they don't, they can just draw them again. It was maps drawn by Democrats, some of the most ridiculous examples of gerrymandering one could ever see, that led to such a mess ahead of last year's midterms. The maps drawn even earned the name of "hochulmander," a play on "gerrymander." 

A statement from GOP strategist Aaron Evans provided to Townhall focused on the extreme nature of such gerrymandered maps.

"This new House maps decision comes after fair maps were drawn and New York voters rejected the extreme policies of out-of-touch progressives last cycle. It's no surprise that Gov. Hochul spearheaded the effort to take away the voice of New York voters through further gerrymandering," he pointed out.

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"Instead of adapting their radical policies to the will of voters, New York Democrats are yet again attempting to change the district lines," Evans continued. "Voters should be able to choose their elected officials, elected officials should not choose their voters. Despite Albany elites' attempts to silence their opposition, New Yorkers are resilient and intelligent enough to remember how hard Democrats worked to take away their voice when they cast their votes next year."

The decision is a celebration for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) as well, as Democrats are itching to take back control of the House in 2024. "Today’s decision is a win for democracy and particularly the people of New York," Chair Suzan DelBene (D-WA) said in a statement per POLITICO. "We are eager for the Independent Redistricting Commission to get back to work to create a new, fair congressional map — through the process New York voters intended."

The Cook Political Report also referred to the decision as a "Big Redistricting Win for Democrats."

While the New York Constitution is supposed to outlaw such extreme gerrymandering, the current court makeup leaves much to be desired.

A statement from House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and NYGOP Chair Ed Cox slammed Tuesday's decision, which mentioned in part that the decision was "preordained."

"The Court’s decision today is plainly wrong on the Constitution and the law. In their relentless pursuit of power at all costs, corrupt Democrats in Albany and Washington have politicized the Court of Appeals. Its once esteemed reputation is in tatters," the statement began. "This outcome was preordained by Democrats' unjustified opposition to Justice Hector LaSalle and the suspicious recusal of Judge Caitlin Halligan."

While the statement also warns that "[t]he decision today opens the door for Democrats to rig our Congressional district lines so that elections are decided not by the voters, but by politicians in a back room," Stefanik and Cox vowed to keep fighting. "New York Republicans will not give up the fight against gerrymandering and for free and fair elections. The people of New York deserve better than this," their statement concluded.

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) also slammed the decision, as he accused state Democrats of collusion using some candid language. He was also the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2022, and came close to winning the election against Hochul. He's also been credited with New York Republicans winning as many seats as they did, which helped the Republican Party overall take control of the House.

"New Yorkers already voted twice in statewide ballots since the 2010 census to ensure that New York’s constitution would end hyper partisan gerrymandering by the legislature," he began his statement by reminding. "Democrats from Albany to Washington, in the legislative branch, executive branch and judicial branch, just colluded to give an enthusiastic middle finger to the voters, violate the state constitution and toss out the state’s congressional maps," he went on to say.

Zeldin had harsh words for the Court of Appeals as well, though, noting it "eagerly disgraced itself today in a way that will be taught in future law school classes about how, in some cases, merit, the constitution, laws, facts, and the will of the people just don’t matter."

There already looks to be conflicts of interest when it comes to those who will be drawing up new maps, including in New York's 16th Congressional District.