New York Court Orders Redrawing of Congressional District Lines

Well, it looks like Republicans are not the only ones dealing with their district maps being imploded by the courts.

After the Independent Redistricting Committee maps were rejected by Democrats, legislators drew up their own maps.

They, too, have now been rejected, so the court has ordered new lines to be drawn for the district maps.

Do It Again

This is definitely a recurring theme after the last census, as opposing parties seem to be challenging every map, and the courts, thus far, has been very receptive to the cases.

In this case, it was Steuben County State Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister who shot down the maps that were submitted by Democrats.

He also appointed a special master to draw up new lines, which will more than likely hurt Republicans, who managed to pick up several House seats in New York that are typically won by Democrats.

The significance of this is not lost on members of the Republican Party.

For instance, former New York GOP Rep. Joe Sempolinski stated, "This can have major implications, not only in New York... but the implications for who's controlling the House of Representatives are serious.

"This is gamesmanship by the Democratic Party. They're embarrassed that they lost fair districts last time... it's a loss for fairness at the court."

The biggest problem that Republicans face is that the map, regardless of who draws it, must get Democrat approval before it is put into play.

Democrats will continue to reject any “fair” map until they see one that gives them an advantage, so I doubt this process will end anytime soon, as we can expect more challenges if the independent map is rejected again.