New York Congressional Map Unfair to Black, Latino Voters, New Lawsuit Claims

A lawsuit filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court alleges that the state's current congressional map unlawfully weakens the voting power of Black and Latino residents in the 11th Congressional District, which includes Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn.

The filing claims the boundaries "confine Staten Island's growing Black and Latino communities in a district where they are routinely and systematically unable to influence elections," in violation of the state constitution.

The case, brought by four New Yorkers and filed by the Elias Law Group, argues that demographic changes over the last four decades have increased the district's Black and Latino population from about 11% to roughly 30%. Plaintiffs say the map fails to reflect those shifts and instead maintains a district where minority voters lack sufficient representation.

They are asking the court to redraw the district, potentially linking Staten Island with parts of Lower Manhattan to form a "minority influence district."

The lawsuit comes as both parties escalate mid-decade redistricting efforts nationwide. Traditionally, states redraw congressional boundaries once a decade following the census. But after the Trump White House urged Republican-controlled states to remake their maps for 2026, GOP lawmakers in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina have already enacted new lines, potentially netting their party several additional seats, as The New York Times points out.

Texas pursued a legislative route; New York, by contrast, now faces litigation after having delegated map-drawing to an independent commission.

Democrats in some states have moved to counter Republican efforts. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed temporarily suspending that state's independent redistricting commission to create five new Democratic-leaning seats, a plan that would require voter approval. Other states—such as Virginia—have signaled they may also attempt new maps if political control allows.

New York's path is complicated by its recent history as Democrats in Albany drew new maps in 2022 after the state's bipartisan redistricting commission deadlocked. But those lines were rejected by a judge for partisan gerrymandering, and a court-appointed special master redrew them.

The Democrats' most recent map, approved last year, made only modest changes. Republicans subsequently won four seats in 2022, a margin that matched their narrow House majority.

Representative Nicole Malliotakis, the district's current Republican member, criticized the lawsuit as "a frivolous lawsuit trying to upend our congressional district," while Ed Cox, New York's GOP chair, argued the filing seeks "a blatant racial gerrymander," calling it an attempt to "tilt the scale," as The Hill reports.

A successful lawsuit could allow New York to adopt new maps before 2026, bypassing the need for a constitutional amendment. Courts have already rejected earlier Democratic maps, and any new effort would require convincing a judge that the current lines unlawfully dilute minority voting power.