A state judge has ruled against bylaw changes put in place by Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the Brooklyn Democratic Party chair, which were designed to keep her in power amid a leadership challenge.
In a decision Monday, the judge wrote that votes taken in August to approve those changes were “improper.”
Supporters of the lawsuit cheered the decision.
“It certainly means that they no longer have a mandate to do what they’re trying to do right now,” Mark Hanna, an attorney, said. “You can’t just try to overturn the results of an election through parliamentary trickery and procedural nonsense when we’ve established that the public has spoken. The Democratic electorate ants to be able to govern itself, wants to have that kind of Democratic and it will.”
In a statement, the party said it plans to appeal.
“We firmly disagree with the ruling and will be appealing it. We are reviewing all available options to protect the integrity of the reforms adopted on August 25th and to ensure that the County Committee can organize under rules that reflect the needs of a modern, diverse, and growing Democratic electorate,” the party wrote.
It’s unclear if a higher court will take up the appeal, but the party has a meeting scheduled for Sept. 23.