NY Congressional Redistricting Draft Maps Drop

NEW YORK CITY — New York City's congressional districts could be poised for a major reshaping.

A draft map of New York congressional districts dropped online Monday and provides the first look at a redistricting proposal ordered by judges who threw out Democratic-drawn districts statewide.

The proposal drawn by Jonathan Cervas, a court-appointed "special master," would merge the Upper East Side and Upper West Side — which have long been separate districts — into a single District 12.

The map could put Upper West Side denizen Rep. Jerry Nadler — whose District 10, under the proposal, would cover Lower Manhattan and a swath of Brooklyn from Park Slope down to Borough Park — into a District 12 primary race against longtime Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

Another significant change from the now-scrapped maps is that a controversial District 11 that paired GOP stronghold Staten Island with Democratic stalwart Park Slope is no more. The redrawn District 11 covers would cover Staten Island, along with Bay Ridge, Red Hook and Sunset Park.

Cervas' congressional maps are drafts, but are expected to be finalized and approved by the end of the week, along with as-yet-released state Senate districts.

The maps' release is the latest tremor in a political earthquake in New York politics.

The state's top appeals court last month declared Democratic-drawn congressional and state Senate maps were unconstitutional and literally sent them back to the drawing board.

Democrats — who faced accusations they gerrymandered districts — were shut out of this process. A neutral expert — Cervas — was designated a "special master" to draw up new district lines.

But the decision doesn't extend to state Assembly districts, which were excluded from the original lawsuit on a technicality.

The situation has cast the state's upcoming primary into uncertainty. Congressional and state Senate primaries were moved back to Aug. 23 to give time for the new maps to be drawn, while state Assembly and other races remain at the original June 28 primary date.

Republicans sued to redraw Assembly districts, but last week upstate judges denied the request by essentially saying there's not enough time.

But late Sunday, a ragtag bipartisan group of politicos filed an emergency lawsuit in a New York City-based court to throw out the state's Assembly maps and consolidate all primaries to Aug. 23, or even to Sept. 13.

The lawsuit is brought by Democrats Paul Nichols and Gary Greenberg, who respectively ran for governor and state Senate, and New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax.

"No one disputes that the State Assembly district lines are unconstitutional, and the court now has the opportunity to ensure that a free and fair election is held," said Aaron Foldenauer, an attorney for Wax, in a statement. "This emergency proceeding is necessary because the two establishment parties have been attempting to justify an illegal act by running out the clock."

Related coverage:

• Park Slope And Staten Island Congressional District Nixed In New Maps
• UWS Merged With UES In New Congressional Map: See It