Republicans appeal decision that threw out NYC's only GOP district

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., talks to reporters following a meeting for President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for the planned Department of Government Efficiency at the Capitol, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. Photo: Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP

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NEW YORK CITY — Republicans on Monday appealed a judge’s decision to throw out the lines of New York City’s only GOP-controlled House seat, a case that could have national reverberations in the fight for control of Congress.

The appeal came just days after a judge ruled U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ Staten Island and Brooklyn district was drawn in a way that dilutes the power of its Black and Hispanic voters. The judge ordered the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to complete a new map by Feb. 6.

The case was filed by an election law firm aligned with the Democratic Party. It came as part of a national gerrymandering fight that started after President Donald Trump pushed to craft new congressional districts in Republican-controlled states such as Texas.

Republicans filed appeals to both a mid-level appeals court and to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.

The Court of Appeals rejected congressional maps that had been seen as helping Democrats and directed a court-appointed expert to redraw districts. It then threw out those maps before the 2024 congressional elections. It was not immediately clear when the Court of Appeals would take up the most recent case.

The state’s current House districts were drawn by Democrats in the state Legislature, after they rejected a proposal from the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission. New York state is currently represented in the House by 19 Democrats and 7 Republicans.