Court rules NY Democrats gerrymandered district boundaries

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A panel of five mid-level New York appellate judges have ruled that state Democrats engaged in gerrymandering when drawing new congressional district boundaries for the next decade. In a divided 3-2 ruling, the majority found the congressional map was unconstitutional. If upheld, the ruling would block the use of those district lines for the upcoming midterm elections in November. The court found Democratic lawmakers acted within their power to approve the maps, after a bipartisan redistricting commission failed to do so earlier this year. But the judges ruled the 2022 congressional map itself “was drawn to discourage competition and favor Democrats.”