Judge rules NYC’s lone Republican congressional district unconstitutional, orders redraw

A judge ruled Wednesday that the configuration of New York City’s lone congressional district represented by a Republican is unconstitutional, ordering the state to redraw the district by next month.

State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman ruled that the composition of New York’s 11th Congressional District — which covers all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn — unconstitutionally diluted the votes of Black and Hispanic residents. He ordered the Independent Redistricting Commission to complete a new map by Feb. 6.

The district is held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., who won her seat in 2020. She slammed the ruling in a statement Wednesday, calling it “a frivolous attempt by Washington Democrats to steal this congressional seat from the people and we are very confident that we will prevail at the end of the day.”

The district has trended Republican in recent elections, voting for President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and backing GOP Senate candidates in 2022 and 2024 after previously supporting Democratic incumbents.

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The lawsuit, filed by Democratic attorney Marc Elias’ law firm, argued that the existing district dilutes the voting power of Staten Island’s growing Black and Latino populations, violating minority protections under the New York Voting Rights Act.

“We are pleased that the court correctly recognized that the current district lines have systematically diluted the votes of Black and Latino Staten Islanders, despite decades of demographic growth in those communities,” Elias Law Group Partner Aria Branch said.

Branch added that the ruling reaffirms that New York’s Constitution “provides robust protections against racial vote dilution, and we are proud to have stood with our clients to vindicate those rights.”

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The judge said in the ruling that there was strong evidence of a “racially polarized voting bloc,” as well as “a history of discrimination that impacts current day political participation and representation,” and “that racial appeals are still made in political campaigns today.”

Republicans are expected to appeal the ruling, escalating the national battle over congressional maps as both parties move to reshape districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Ed Cox, chairman of the New York State Republican Committee, criticized the ruling as partisan, arguing that Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Democrats had a chance to alter the district in 2024.

“This entire exercise is a cynical attempt to enact an illegal partisan gerrymander under the guise of a voting rights case,” Cox said in a statement. “It is shocking that the Governor and Attorney General did not defend the law that the legislature passed and the Governor signed in 2024 – they are clearly colluding with the plaintiffs in this case.”

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New York was forced to redraw its congressional districts after the 2020 census, sparking a legal battle over maps used in the 2022 midterms. Democrats’ initial map was struck down as unconstitutional gerrymandering, leading a court to order an independent redraw that dramatically reshaped districts. While those maps were used in 2022, they were later thrown out and redrawn again ahead of the 2024 election.

Hochul welcomed the ruling, saying the state Constitution guarantees fair representation.

“The court’s decision underscores the importance of these constitutional principles and directs the congressional map be redrawn by the New York Independent Redistricting Commission so impacted communities are fully represented and have a voice in our democracy,” she said in a statement.

Staten Island Republican Party Chairman Michael Tannousis reacted to the ruling, calling the decision “a complete sham.”

“They are trying to fracture our community because they don’t like how we vote,” he said in a statement. “It’s rigged. It’s transparently partisan, and it’s wrong.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and The Associated Press contributed to this report.