A New York Democrat-appointed state judge ruled that the boundaries of New York City’s only Republican congressional district, held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), were created unconstitutionally and has ordered it to be redrawn.
State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman’s decision, issued on Jan. 21, found that the configuration of New York’s 11th Congressional District unconstitutionally dilutes the voting power of minority residents and violates the New York State Constitution and the New York Voting Rights Act.
Pearlman, who was nominated by New York’s Democrat governor, Kathy Hochul, ruled that New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission must redraw the state’s congressional map by Feb. 6 and barred any election from taking effect until the lines are redrawn.
Malliotakis, who sought to dismiss the case, called the decision an attempt “by Washington Democrats to steal this congressional seat from the people, and we are very confident that we will prevail at the end of the day.”
The congresswoman said she was reviewing the judge’s decision and was considering options that would “protect the voices of people of Staten Island and Brooklyn.”
Pearlman described the 11th Congressional District, which includes all of Staten Island and part of southern Brooklyn, as ignoring significant demographic growth among blacks and Hispanics in the district, saying it diluted the racial vote count. The Democrat judge cited evidence of racially polarized voting, ongoing political discrimination, and the use of racial appeals in campaigns as key factors in his ruling.
“It is clear to the Court that the current district lines of CD-11 are a contributing factor in the lack of representation for minority voters,” wrote Pearlman. “In state and local races, Staten Island is allowed to be divided in a way that has enabled Black and Latino voters to show some political power, however insufficient.”
“It is evident that without adding Black and Latino voters from elsewhere, those voters already affected by race discrimination will remain a diluted population indefinitely,” he continued.
The plaintiffs in the case are voters from Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, which are part of the nearby 10th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman, who claim they are disenfranchised.
They are represented in the case by the law firm of Marc Elias, the Democrat operative who has been tied to attempts to undermine President Donald Trump and elections nationwide in favor of Democrats. Other groups, such as the NAACP New York State Conference, are also involved in the case
As the 10th District is majority Democrat, moving part of it into the 11th District could give them a chance to flip the Republican majority seat in the midterm elections.
Democrats currently control 19 of New York’s 26 districts.
Republicans strongly criticized the ruling, calling it a politically motivated effort to eliminate a GOP-held seat and arguing that the current map was drawn by a prescribed process, subject to multiple rounds of litigation.
NYGOP Chairman Ed Cox said on X, “This was a partisan ruling made by a partisan judge in a case brought by a notoriously partisan attorney. This entire exercise is a cynical attempt to enact an illegal partisan gerrymander under the guise of a voting rights case.” He added, “The Staten Island/Brooklyn Congressional District has existed for almost 45 years.”
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Meanwhile, the NAACP’s executive director, Chris Alexander, declared the ruling a victory for fair representation.
“This decision affirms what the New York Constitution requires: district lines cannot be drawn in a way that locks communities out of political power,” Alexander said.
“We urge the Independent Redistricting Commission to act swiftly to deliver a map that reflects Staten Island’s lived reality and gives every voter a fair chance to be heard.”
If the New York Independent Redistricting Commission fails to agree on a new map, the Democrat-controlled state legislature may step in, raising concerns about partisan gerrymandering.
The ruling is expected to be appealed, as redistricting battles heat up nationwide ahead of the 2026 midterms.
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