Congressional District Map Approved by NYS Legislature on Feb. 2, 2022

New York State of Politics reports a federal judge has denied a bid backed by congressional Democrats to preserve the lines drawn by state lawmakers earlier this year for U.S. House districts in New York for a June 28 primary.

Judge Lewis Kaplan called the last-minute effort supported by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to keep the districts approved by lawmakers and signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul a “hail Mary” for the June primary.

The ruling means a special master appointed by a state court in Steuben County will likely have control of the congressional redistricting process for New York; he is expected to submit new districts for the U.S. House and state Senate districts in May.

The development comes after New York’s top state court last month ruled the congressional and state Senate lines were in violation of New York’s constitution.

A state judge previously moved the congressional and state Senate party primaries to August 23 as a result of the lines undergoing a revision by the special master. Democrats had argued in federal court the rejection of the districts gave little time for voters, and urged the judge to keep the lawmaker-drawn boundaries in place.

The state Board of Elections in a brief filed this week, however, contended there was enough time to conduct the August primary.