Joseph Ax

(Reuters). A New York State judge ruled Thursday that the Democratic-backed state congressional map was unconstitutional. The order required lawmakers to redraw those lines. It could seriously hurt their chances of retaining the U.S. Congress control during November’s election.

Patrick McAllister of Steuben County Supreme Court stated that the map infringed on a provision in the Constitution which states districts shouldn’t be drawn so favorably to one party over another.

The map, passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature and signed into law by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in February, gave the party the advantage in 22 of the state’s 26 districts, according to analysts. The state’s current 19 districts are held by Democrats, and it will be losing one seat due to slow population growth.

It helped correct Republican-skewed state maps such as Georgia and Texas, and was a big step towards ending what had originally been thought to be a complicated national redistricting process for Democrats.

Immediately, Democratic leaders stated that they will appeal the decision and expected it to be put on hold.

Mike Murphy, spokesperson for Democratic Senate Majority said that “this is just one step” in the process. “We knew that the appeals courts would decide this case.”

McAllister, in an 18-page resolution, set April 11, 2011, as the deadline for new maps and promised to engage an expert to make one if the legislature fails to reach a bipartisan consensus.

New York’s primary election will be held June 28th. McAllister said that it is possible for an expert-drawn map to not be ready in time for the elections.

U.S. law requires that states redraw their legislative and congressional lines each decade in order to reflect population growth. The process is controlled by the legislature in most states. This allows parties to manipulate lines for their own political advantage, also known as gerrymandering.

This is Thursday’s second redistricting defeat for Democrats within a span of one week. Last Friday, a Maryland court declared a newly drawn map by Democrats illegally gerrymander.

Republican-favored maps were previously rejected by judges in Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

With three open seats, the U.S. House of Representatives currently has a Democratic edge of 222 to210. According to opinion polls, Republicans are likely to win the House majority again in November. This would enable them to block many of Democratic President Joe Biden’s plans.

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, spoke out in a conference call to reporters. He said that the National Republican Redistricting Trust co-chair, which supports Republican redistricting efforts and is responsible for the New York Democrats’ actions.