District Maps Dividing Conservative Northeast Queens Tossed By Judge

QUEENS, NY — Baysiders might be reunited with other right-leaning swaths of northeast Queens divided under redesigned legislative maps, after a New York State judge ruled that Democrats unconstitutionally redistricted the maps to benefit their party.

In an 18-page ruling, Acting State Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister said the maps, drawn after every U.S. Census, were redistricted by Democrats in Albany to give the party a political advantage in 22 of 26 congressional seats — violating a constitutional amendment in New York aimed to end partisan gerrymandering.

The redistricted maps, for instance, separate some Bayside voters from other conservative swaths of northeast Queens in its congressional, State Senate, and State Assembly redesign — a move that Bayside's Republican City Council Member Vickie Paladino described as clearly partisan, Patch reported.

Justice McAllister, a Republican from the state's southwestern Steuben County, rendered the congressional maps (and those for the State Senate and Assembly) "void and not usable" in this year's election, instead ordering Democrats to come up with new "bipartisanly supported maps" by April 11th — just as candidates wrap up petitioning to get on the primary ballots (all based on now-in-limbo maps).

Under a court order temporarily suspending the judge's ruling, though, the New York Board of Elections told candidates Friday to continue with business as usual, and submit petitions to make the ballot for Congress, State Senate, and Assembly seats between April 4th and 7th as Democrats appeal the ruling.

"We will receive petitions next week and proceed as if the June 28th primary is moving ahead," a BOE representative told City & State shortly after Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James announced plans to appeal Justice McAllister's decision.

Some lawmakers, though, cheered Justice McAllister's ruling — U.S. Rep Nicole Malliotakis among them.

"It's clear to all that Albany Democrats redrew our district to tilt the scale and steal our seat. It's not just wrong, it's also a violation of the State Constitution," she told the New York Post.

"We are encouraged by the action of the court and we await the new district maps she added. Malliotakis' seat, the only congressional seat held by a Republican in the city, is up in the air under the new maps, which merge her mostly-conservative Staten Island district with liberal Park Slope.

Democrats' redistricted maps were first released — and passed the legislature — in February, after New York's independent redistricting commission — a body created for the purpose of nonpartisan redistricting — failed to approve a bipartisan map in January.

Party leaders have long-insisted that the maps don't benefit their party unfairly and are simply a reversal of Republicans' past partisan redistricting efforts.

Related Article: Conservative Northeast Queens Areas Divided In New District Maps