New York’s top court throws out district lines and delays primary

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s top court has found that the state’s new congressional and state Senate lines were improperly drawn, throwing a wrench into this year’s election process and suggesting that will require a delay of the state’s primary.

The Court of Appeals found that lawmakers failed to follow the “prescribed constitutional procedure” for drawing maps and that those they created “were drawn with an unconstitutional partisan intent.”

That will likely lead to a delay to at least some of the primaries that were due to be held on June 28.

“Although it will likely be necessary to move the congressional and senate primary elections to August, New York routinely held a bifurcated primary until recently, with some primaries occurring as late as September,” the majority opinion said. “We are confident that, in consultation with the Board of Elections, Supreme Court can swiftly develop a schedule to facilitate an August primary election, allowing time for the adoption of new constitutional maps, the dissemination of correct information to voters.”

The court — where every judge was appointed by a Democratic governor — split 4–3.

The majority’s decision went further than even a decision from a Republican judge at a lower level in March, which left open the possibility of letting the Legislature draw new lines itself.

This is the first time that maps have been tossed in New York since the 1960s.