New York approves new congressional maps after rejecting redistricting panel's slate

The New York legislature on Wednesday approved a new slate of congressional district maps, setting the boundaries for expected tough contests in the battle for the House in 2024.

The state has 26 House seats and New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign the proposal defining their constituencies, Politico reported. Earlier this week, the legislature rejected a submission from the Independent Redistricting Commission and opted to draw their own. The panel had voted 9-1 in favor of that slate.

The state's maps have been the subject of legal dispute for years. The IRC in 2022 submitted dueling proposals after its members could not agree on a plan. The legislature rejected both options and drew their own boundaries, which did not survive judicial scrutiny. New York used a court-imposed slate of maps during the 2022 midterms. Last year, the New York Court of Appeals ordered the IRC to draw a new slate.

The IRC's latest proposal made minor tweaks to the existing, court-imposed maps and enjoyed support from state Republicans. The legislature's version made more substantive tweaks that are generally expected to favor Democrats, though Democratic Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski said that "19.5 million people out of the 20 million odd people in New York state see no changes," per Politico.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.