Republicans Urge Supreme Court to Freeze NYC Congressional Map Ahead of Ballot Petition Deadline
Updated (5 articles)
Court Rulings Nullify Malliotakis’ District A state judge threw out Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ Staten Island‑Brooklyn congressional district last month, finding the lines diluted Black and Latino voting strength, and a New York appeals court affirmed the decision on Thursday, ordering the redistricting commission to redraw the map [1].
Republicans File Emergency Supreme Court Appeal GOP officials and Malliotakis submitted an urgent petition to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a stay on the lower‑court ruling, arguing that race‑based redistricting violates the Constitution and asking the Court to act by Monday so the current map can be used for upcoming filings [1].
Department of Justice Joins GOP Request The Trump‑era Justice Department filed a brief backing the emergency appeal, urging the Court to issue a ruling quickly to allow candidates to meet the ballot‑petition deadline under the existing district configuration [1].
Political Context of Recent Supreme Court Map Decisions The high court recently permitted Texas and California to use newly drawn congressional maps for the 2026 elections, a pattern that suggests the justices may be reluctant to intervene in other states’ redistricting battles [1].
Ballot‑Petition Deadline Triggers Urgency Candidate petitioning in New York begins next Tuesday, and the looming deadline intensifies pressure on the Supreme Court to decide the stay request before filings commence under the contested map [1].
Timeline
2023 – Democrats in the New York State Legislature draw the congressional map that creates the sole NYC Republican district, and Governor Kathy Hochul signs it into law to boost Democratic prospects ahead of the 2024 elections; the map later becomes the subject of litigation over minority‑vote dilution. [1][4]
2023 – New York’s Court of Appeals rejects a Democratic‑favored congressional map, appoints an expert to redraw lines, and subsequently invalidates the revised map before the 2024 election, establishing a precedent for judicial intervention in redistricting. [4]
2025 – A Democratic‑aligned election‑law firm files a lawsuit challenging the Malliotakis district, arguing that the boundaries dilute Black and Latino voting strength on Staten Island and southern Brooklyn; the suit ties into a nationwide surge in redistricting battles after former President Trump urges Republicans to revisit maps. [1][2][4]
Jan 21, 2026 – State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman rules that the Malliotakis district violates protections against racial vote dilution and orders the district to be redrawn, voiding the existing boundaries; Malliotakis calls the decision “a partisan tactic to remove the seat from the people.” [1][5]
Jan 22, 2026 – Pearlman directs New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission to produce a new map by Feb 6, citing strong evidence of racially polarized voting and ongoing discrimination; the order accelerates the redistricting timeline ahead of the 2026 midterm cycle. [2][5]
Jan 26, 2026 – Republican leaders file appeals to a federal circuit court and to New York’s Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn the judge’s order and preserve the GOP‑held seat; they vow to fight “the frivolous attempt by Washington Democrats to steal the seat.” [4]
Feb 6, 2026 – The Independent Redistricting Commission must deliver a revised congressional map for the Staten Island‑Brooklyn district, a deadline that will determine the ballot‑petition filing boundaries for the upcoming primary. [2][5]
Feb 19, 2026 – Republicans, joined by the Department of Justice, petition the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency stay, arguing that the lower courts’ rulings violate the Constitution’s ban on race‑based redistricting; Malliotakis asserts the Court has been “unequivocal” that such redistricting is unconstitutional, and the filing seeks a decision before the ballot‑petition deadline the following week. [3]
Early Mar 2026 – Candidate petitioning for the 2026 congressional race begins under the current map, a process that could be disrupted if the Supreme Court grants the GOP’s stay request, putting pressure on the Court to rule quickly. [3]
2026 – The Supreme Court recently allows Texas and California to use new district maps for the 2026 elections, signaling possible reluctance to block state‑level redistricting elsewhere and foreshadowing the stakes of the New York case. [3]
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