The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 14, 2023
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
There was another plot twist in New York’s redistricting drama, as New York’s highest court threw out a special master’s Congressional maps, and directed the state’s redistricting commission to try again.
Voters established the partisan-appointed New York Independent Redistricting Commission, or IRC, in 2014, in hopes of ending partisan gerrymandering. It didn’t. The advisory-only IRC deadlocked, instead submitting only one Democratic-map and one Republican-map, with the legislature rejecting both. The Democrat-dominated legislature then gerrymandered the map for partisan advantage.
Those maps were thrown out by an appeals court in 2022, and a special master drew the more competitive maps used during the midterm election, flipping six Congressional seats Republican. Democrats sued, arguing that the IRC never fulfilled its constitutional duty of having two attempts at drawing maps.
December 12th, a state appeals court agreed, throwing out the special master’s more competitive maps, and mandating that the redistricting commission draw new ones, saying in its ruling, “We are holding the IRC and legislature to what the Constitution demands and will do so as often as necessary to secure compliance with its mandate.”
The decision could have consequences far beyond New York, potentially shifting control of the U.S. Congress. Will the IRC deadlock again? Will NY legislators listen to voters and draw competitive maps?
Stay tuned for more drama at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
American Democracy Minute – Will an Appeal Give New York’s Bipartisan Redistricting Committee Another Chance to Draw Fair Maps?
Associated Press – New York’s high court orders new congressional maps as Democrats move to retake control of US House
Politico – New York’s high court just blew up the fight for control of the House
Democracy Docket – New York’s Highest Court Orders New Congressional Map for 2024
New York Court of Appeals – In the Matter of Anthony S. Hoffmann, et al., v. New York State Independent
Redistricting Commission, et al.,
Princeton Gerrymandering Project – New York Congressional Maps
Brennan Center for Justice – What Went Wrong with New York’s Redistricting
Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause NY, NY Civil Liberties Union, New York Law School Census and Redistricting Institute, Empire Center
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#Democracy #DemocracyNews #FairMaps #EndGerrymandering #NYPolitics #NewYorkPolitics