New York’s plan to eliminate a GOP seat from Congress has been defeated.
Based on the previous Supreme Court rulings for Texas and California, I am sure Governor Kathy Hochul thought she had a slam dunk.
The court, however, surprised her and many others by blocking the new map.
When the Texas ruling allowed Governor Greg Abbott’s gerrymandered maps to stay in place, Democrats balked, but this was a decision that would benefit them as well.
Dems had gerrymandered maps in California, as well as several other states, to offset the Texas seats and other red-state plans, duplicating Texas's gerrymandering.
For the most part, the cases that followed the Texas case fell in line with that ruling, but most people did not actually bother to read why the Texas and California maps were held up.
This was about timing and the maps already being put into play. All of these maps will likely be challenged again immediately after the 2026 cycle, and I would not be surprised in the least if the court reverses them.
Governor Hochul got into this game late, with its redistricting commission only getting the go-ahead to change the maps last month. With the primary elections slated for June, it did not give them much time to get the maps done.
Hochul had stated, “The New York State Constitution guarantees the principles of fair representation, and New Yorkers in every community deserve these protections.”
She continued, “After the Appellate Division’s decision today, there is now a need for the New York Independent Redistricting Commission to begin the work of redrawing these maps.”
While Hochul was taking a victory lap, the very thing that allowed the Texas and California maps to remain in play would play a role in defeating her maps.
On Monday, the Supreme Court announced a slew of rulings, one of which was in favor of the GOP regarding the New York congressional maps.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor was livid in her dissent, stating, “Time and again, this court has said that federal courts should not meddle with state election laws ahead of an election. Today, the court says: except for this one, except for this one, and except for this one.”
There were two major issues in play here. One being the timing of the maps, and the second being the racial aspect of the maps, which Justice Alito noted in his majority opinion. The fact that every conservative justice ruling in favor of overturning the maps says quite a bit, as this court has had no problem crossing over to go against the norm when it believes it is in the best interest of justice. The court has also stayed away from most of the state gerrymandering cases, but this was so blatant, it had no choice but to step in.
This is one win, but it’s a big one for Trump and the GOP because every seat will count in 2026, as the GOP is up against history to hold the House. Things are no longer as dim as they once were just a few weeks ago.
