The Supreme Court on Monday sided with Republicans in a ruling that prevents the boundaries of a congressional district in New York City to be redrawn for the 2026 elections.
The conservative majority halted a state court ruling that had ordered New York’s redistricting commission to redraw New York's 11th congressional district that covers Staten Island and a small part of southern Brooklyn held by U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the judge’s ruling under New York’s constitution amounted to “unadorned racial discrimination” in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Meanwhile, Justice Sonia Sotomayor objected to the decision.
“Time and again, this Court has said that federal courts should not meddle with state election laws ahead of an election. ... Ignoring every limit on federal courts’ authority, the Court takes the unprecedented step of staying a state trial court’s decision in a redistricting dispute on matters of state law without giving the State’s highest court a chance to act,” Sotomayor wrote.
Malliotakis said the decision helps restore the public’s confidence in the judicial system and proves the challenge by Democrats was meritless.
"The plaintiffs in this case attempted to manipulate our state’s courts to use race as a weapon to rig our elections," she said on X. "Unfortunately, the politicization of New York’s courts and its judges necessitated action from the nation’s highest court. Whether I serve another term in Congress is a decision for the voters, not Democrat party bosses and their high-priced lawyers."
Had the Supreme Court justices upheld the state court ruling, Dan Goldman, the current congressman representing New York’s 10th District, likely would have run against Malliotakis in a redrawn district that included lower Manhattan and Staten Island.
"NY-10 is my home, and it is my honor to fight for my neighbors every single day in Congress," Goldman said in a statement. "With our most fundamental rights on the line, I look forward to earning re-election to enact a truly bold, progressive agenda, make New York City more affordable for working families, defend our democracy and the rule of law, and hold Donald Trump and his cronies accountable for their lawlessness."
Goldman is running against former city Comptroller Brad Lander in the June Democratic primary election in the 10th Congressional Distirct.
