Queens groups hail redistricting reversal
/
A Steuben County judge ruled Thursday that the State Legislature did not have the constitutional right to draw the district lines. AP file photo by Hans Pennink
By Rachel Vick
On Thursday, a judge from upstate New York ruled that the redrawn congressional, State Senate and Assembly district maps were unconstitutional. That night, attorneys for Governor Kathy Hochul and top lawmakers in the state legislature filed an appeal and the decision was stayed by a judge Friday.
The suit was filed by a group of Republican voters who claimed that the maps drawn by the Democrat-led state legislature were unconstitutional and that the legislature did not have the authority to redraw the maps the way they did, cutting out a Republican-safe congressional district entirely and shifting others to include more Democratic voters.
But while they may not agree with the arguments made in the lawsuit, a number of Queens advocates who felt spurned by the legislature’s maps after advocating for a more unified borough, celebrated the decision by Steuben County Supreme Court Judge Patrick F. McAllister last week.
“The maps thrown out today divided communities and ignored the voices of on the ground organizers,” the Central Queens Redistricting Commission said on social media. ”What they did do was protect the incumbency for the powerful and protected select progressive pockets.”
“Our hope would be that the lines would be reconsidered. They truly fail New Yorkers,” they added. “But we expect the lines to remain.”
The Central Queens Redistricting Commission, led by co-chairs Heather E. Beers-Dimitriadis and Raj Korpan, were one of several organizations that felt Central Queens, South Queens and parts of Western Queens were unfairly divided by electoral lines, diminishing the voting power of the communities that live there.
Advocates who fought vigorously for a more unified Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, which has been split into seven Assembly districts for the past decade, commended the decision after they felt their views were left out of the final maps created by the legislature.
“We will continue our advocacy [and] are hopeful that justice will prevail and that the back room deals which solidified the previous iteration of maps will be thrown out,” said South Queens Women’s March founder Aminta Kilawan-Narine. “I hope that democracy will triumph, centering the voices of community members who have fought for equitable, fair maps for three whole decades.”
Richard David, a district leader from south Queens who has been an active participant in the redistricting process, said he is "so happy the judge has thrown out these maps,” and that he hopes “that they stay in the garbage.”
Regardless of how the ruling came about, he said, the end result is the desired outcome.
“Obviously many people are going to appeal the judge's verdict and it sounds like the reason the judge rejected is due to partisan issues between Democrats and Republicans and… I think if that's the pretense to get fairer maps for those that live in Richmond Hill, I'm okay with that pretense,” David said. “Dozens of neighbors and community leaders [feel like] they wasted our time. They told us our voices would matter and it was just theater.”
“In effect, they rejected people's thoughts, opinions, rights and feelings. I hope they go back to the drawing board,” he added. “If the pretense is to be fairer to partisan considerations, so be it.”
In his decision, McAllister wrote that “the legislature is not free to ignore the IRC maps and develop their own.” He gave the legislature until April 11 to try and create another set of maps. If they don’t, the court will take the reins.
Signatures for candidates running in the June primary, where districts will be those newly established, are due between April 4 and 11.
Jerry Goldfeder, an election attorney, said giving the decision so close to elections was “irresponsible.”
“The Supreme Court of the United States has consistently and repeatedly ruled that decisions by courts should not be made close to an election,” Goldfeder told the Eagle. “Here we are, when petitions are due next week.”
In a statement on social media Mike Murphy, the communications director for the New York State Senate Democrats, said they expect the ruling to be overturned by the appellate court.
During a press conference on Friday, GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy celebrated the ruling, albeit for different reasons than advocates in Queens. He alleged that Hochul was directly responsible for maps and that she was attempting to sway votes towards the other party.
“This decision is a total rebuke of the brazen attempt to steal elections going forward,” he said. “It's not just a gerrymander, we’re calling it a Hochul-mander.”
The decision will be stayed until an appeals court hears the case.
