Democrats' early hopes for redistricting gains founder amid string of legal reversals

The most striking redistricting reversal came in New York, where a state court formally approved New York's new congressional map, which effectively reversed an ambitious Democratic gerrymander and paved the way for potentially several Republican pickups.

Chief Judge Janet DiFiore explained the map was enacted "In a nontransparent manner controlled exclusively by the dominant political party." Therefore, the court said, the new lines would need to be drawn by a nonpartisan special master, whose final plan was approved last week.

The new map will also reverse Democrats' plan to insert liberal Park Slope, Brooklyn into New York City's only Republican-held district, represented by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.

In March, a Maryland judge threw out the map, calling it an "Extreme partisan gerrymander." The new map, formally approved the following month, keeps Harris's seat safe while making the district of Rep. David Trone much more competitive.

"In New York, what I've said is that those are not the maps I would have drawn in New York." The Washington Post noted last week that Holder, who served as attorney general under former President Barack Obama, was effectively "Silent" on the New York and Maryland maps while aggressively castigating maps drawn by Republicans.

In Wisconsin, for example, the state Supreme Court in March approved maps that largely preserve the current district lines that give Republicans majorities, despite Democratic Gov. Tony Evers previously vetoing Republican-drawn redistricting plans.

In Ohio Republicans are set to be able to use their own redistricting map, despite the state Supreme Court ruling it unconstitutional.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/democrats-redistricting-fiasco-spells-trouble-november