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A choose dominated 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 subsequent month.
State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman dominated that the composition of New York’s eleventh Congressional District — which covers all of Staten Island and components of southern Brooklyn — unconstitutionally diluted the votes of Black and Hispanic residents. He ordered the Independent Redistricting Commission to finish a brand new map by Feb. 6.
The district is held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., who received her seat in 2020. She slammed the ruling in a press release 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 latest elections, voting for President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and backing GOP Senate candidates in 2022 and 2024 after beforehand supporting Democratic incumbents.
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Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from New York, on the ground of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg through Getty Images)
The lawsuit, filed by Democratic lawyer Marc Elias’ regulation agency, argued that the present district dilutes the voting energy of Staten Island’s rising Black and Latino populations, violating minority protections beneath 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 stated.
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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Democratic lawyer Marc Elias’ regulation agency argued in a lawsuit that New York’s eleventh Congressional District dilutes the voting energy of Staten Island’s rising Black and Latino populations, violating minority protections beneath the New York Voting Rights Act. (Screenshot/CBS)
The choose stated within the ruling that there was sturdy proof of a “racially polarized voting bloc,” in addition to “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 anticipated to enchantment the ruling, escalating the nationwide battle over congressional maps as each events transfer to reshape districts forward 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 an opportunity to change 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 stated in a press release. “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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NY Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks with Moms First CEO Reshma Saujani throughout the Economic Club of New York luncheon on September 18, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
New York was compelled to redraw its congressional districts after the 2020 census, sparking a authorized battle over maps used within the 2022 midterms. Democrats’ preliminary map was struck down as unconstitutional gerrymandering, main a court docket to order an impartial redraw that dramatically reshaped districts. While these maps have been utilized in 2022, they have been later thrown out and redrawn once more forward of the 2024 election.
Hochul welcomed the ruling, saying the state Constitution ensures truthful illustration.
“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 stated in a press release.
Staten Island Republican Party Chairman Michael Tannousis reacted to the ruling, calling the choice “a complete sham.”
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“They are trying to fracture our community because they don’t like how we vote,” he stated in a press release. “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.
