A group of New York Republicans on Tuesday filed an appeal to a state court decision that ordered new congressional maps be redrawn in the latest salvo in the ongoing battle for control of the House.
The GOP voters’ appeal will bring the case to the state’s highest court after the appellate court sided with Democrats earlier this month, reversing a lower court’s decision that appointed a special master to create a map and ordering the bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission to draw up a new one.
The neutral, court-appointed special master created a map with new district lines in New York state that caused Democrats to lose multiple seats in last year’s midterm election — helping to pave the way for GOP control of the House.
Republicans had vowed to take the power struggle to the New York Court of Appeals immediately after the court ordered the special master map to be tossed for a new map ahead of the 2024 midterms.
“Democrats want to rig the congressional district lines in their favor,” roared former GOP Rep. John Faso of the Hudson Valley district. “New York state now has more competitive congressional districts than any state in the nation.”
Before the special master was selected for the politically-charged job, Albany Democrats were accused of gerrymandering district lines after the redistricting commission failed to agree on a map and turned over the job to legislators.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to work,” Karen Blatt, the commission’s Democratic co-executive director, said following the appellate court decision on July 13. “And we’re looking forward to working with our Republican side as well.”
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However, multiple members of the commission also appealed that court decision on Tuesday, according to a filing.
Several Republicans accused state Democrats of gerrymandering through the court system after the GOP successfully flipped four House seats in the November 2022 election.
GOP sources previously told The Post they worried a newly-installed, liberal-leaning judge to the Court of Appeals could jeopardize their wins in a final decision that would end the Democrat-Republican tit-for-tat.
A legal expert agreed that the move to the state’s highest court could end up backfiring on the Republican plaintiffs, who want the current map upheld.
New York Law School professor Jeffrey Wice said it is generally easier for the high court to affirm a lower court decision than explain why it is reversing it.
“There’s no guarantee here,” he previously said, “but the chances of success for the Democrats just got a lot better.”
