 |
| Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., arrives for a House Ways and Means Committee hearing in the Longworth House Office Building on Dec. 5, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) |
Rep Nicole Malliotakis intervened to defend New York’s 11th Congressional District map
A Republican representative from New York challenged a congressional redistricting effort, and the Supreme Court ruled in her favor. She said the decision "helps restore the public’s confidence in our judicial system." Over the dissent of the court's three liberal justices, the conservative majority halted a state court ruling that had ordered New York's redistricting commission to redraw the district held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from New York, represents Staten Island and a small portion of Brooklyn. A judge had ruled that the district was drawn in a way that dilutes the power of its Black and Hispanic voters and had instructed the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to complete a new map.
"The United States' decision today The Supreme Court's decision to preserve New York's 11th Congressional District contributes to the public's regaining faith in our judicial system and demonstrates that the challenge to our district lines was never based on merit. In a statement, Malliotakis said, "The plaintiffs in this case attempted to manipulate the courts of our state to use race as a weapon to rig our elections." "That was wrong and, as demonstrated by today’s ruling, clearly unconstitutional."
"Unfortunately, the politicization of New York’s courts and its judges necessitated action from the nation’s highest court. She went on to say, "I am grateful to the justices who prevented Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn voters from losing their right to elect a representative who reflects their values." "Whether I serve another term in Congress is a decision for the voters, not Democrat party bosses and their high-priced lawyers."
 |
| Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from New York, is seen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images) |
In order to challenge the lines of the district, New York voters filed a lawsuit against state election officials in the state's trial court, the Supreme Court of New York, in October 2025. In order to defend the current map, Malliotakis intervened. A Democratic-affiliated law firm had argued that the Staten Island district should be reshaped by replacing a portion of Lower Manhattan with the small portion in Brooklyn. Some Republican-leaning neighborhoods would have been removed from the district as a result of the swap, and in their place would have been areas where President Donald Trump would have lost to former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 50 points in 2024. A state judge ruled that a change was required to give more voting power to the growing population of Black and Hispanic residents on Staten Island, despite the fact that the map they requested was not implemented. The judge gave New York's bipartisan redistricting commission, which had not yet submitted any proposals, the task of deciding how to redraw the state's congressional maps.
 |
| The Supreme Court is seen on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images) |
The Supreme Court did not explain the rationale for its decision Monday, but 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. According to The Associated Press, the Constitution.
Source: Fox News
Posts
0 Comments