A three-judge panel of federal judges ruled on Tuesday (February 2nd) that the congressional map in New York must be redrawn, finding that the current congressional lines have been gerrymandered in a way that violates the Voting Rights Act and the US Constitution. The judges said that the current congressional map in New York “impermissibly dilutes the votes of racial and language minorities,” and they ordered New York lawmakers to draw up a new, fairer congressional map no later than March 2020. According to the ruling, the current congressional map divides minority populations with the aim of “diluting their collective voting strength” and thus diminishing their political influence in the state. This is the latest in a series of rulings that have overturned congressional maps drawn up by Republican-led state legislatures.
New York congressional map must be redrawn, court rules
