ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Democrats were granted a stay Monday that put a hold on an upstate judge’s decision to strike down recently drawn congressional and legislative maps.
State Appellate Division Associate Justice Stephen Lindley issued a temporary stay allowing the maps to remain in place for the time being. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Thursday.
The interim order comes days after Steuben County Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister determined that the maps, drawn up by the Democrat-led Legislature, violated a 2014 constitutional amendment to end partisan gerrymandering.
“The enacted congressional map shows virtually zero competitive districts,” McAllister wrote in his decision. He gave the Legislature until April 11 to submit new maps.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Attorney General Letitia James and the Democratic leaders of the Senate and Assembly appealed.
The expected stay comes after candidates, who have been campaigning based on the new lines, were instructed to carry on and collect signatures to ensure they get on the ballot for the June 28 primary.
The State Board of Elections said Friday that election-related deadlines, including the filing period for designating petitions this week, and “all other deadlines provided for by law are still in effect pending further court determinations.”
The hearing scheduled for Thursday will determine whether the stay remains in effect as the appeals are heard, and the court will fast-track the process from there.
“The appeal will be greatly accelerated for obvious reasons, and I anticipate that a decision could be rendered within the next three weeks, if not sooner,” Lindley wrote.
The Democrat-led Legislature drew up its own maps earlier this year after a bipartisan commission created to de-politicize the redistricting process wound up deadlocked.
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