NYGOP Chair Ed Cox has issued a statement criticizing a lawsuit filed by the Elias Law Group, which claims that New York’s 11th Congressional District unfairly disenfranchises minority voters. The lawsuit challenges the current configuration of the district, which links Staten Island and Brooklyn.
In his statement, Cox said, “This new lawsuit is a frivolous attempt to circumvent the clear reading of both the New York State Constitution and the Court of Appeals decisions concerning redistricting. Democrats attempted an outrageous gerrymander of the 11th Congressional District when they adopted their plan in 2022. Fortunately, the courts at every level rejected their plan.”
Cox further argued that linking Staten Island to Manhattan would be another partisan effort: “Now, Democrats attempt another gerrymander of NY-11 by linking Staten Island to Manhattan. The current Staten Island/Brooklyn district is compact, respects communities of interest, and has been approved by both the courts and the State Legislature. This latest lawsuit, brought by the same lawyers who previously defended the unconstitutional state gerrymander in 2022, is seeking a blatant racial gerrymander in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.”
He concluded with criticism directed at those behind the legal challenge: “Everyone should see this effort for what it is: a naked attempt to disenfranchise voters in NY-11 and elect a Democrat to this Congressional District contrary to the will of voters.”
New York’s governor since 2021 is Kathy Hochul, who became the state’s first female governor as a member of the Democratic Party (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Hochul).
