(Washington, DC) – The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked an effort by New York Democrats to redraw the state’s lone Republican-held congressional district in New York City, granting an emergency stay that prevents changes ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
The order halts a lower court ruling that would have required New York’s 11th Congressional District — represented by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) — to be redrawn. The district currently links Staten Island with parts of southern Brooklyn.
Malliotakis appealed to the high court after a Manhattan judge ruled earlier this year that the existing district map was “unconstitutional” and ordered it redrawn in January.
In a statement following the decision, Malliotakis said the ruling “helps restore the public’s confidence in our judicial system” and argued that the legal challenge to the district lines was politically motivated.
New York Republican Chairman Ed Cox praised the ruling, calling the lower court decision a “full-blown racial gerrymander” and citing Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion in support of the stay.
Justice Alito wrote that allowing the redistricting process to proceed could create confusion, suggesting the Supreme Court would likely have intervened later if new maps were adopted.
Democrats and plaintiffs in the case argued that the existing district lines diluted the voting power of Black and Latino voters. They contended that the map violated constitutional standards and required correction.
The redistricting push came amid broader national tensions over congressional maps, including disputes in other states where both parties have accused one another of partisan gerrymandering.
In a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the majority’s intervention, calling it an “unprecedented step” into ongoing state-court litigation.
