Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking some extra time to decide on the final bill to reach her desk at the end of the year.
A controversial bill that would create new judicial districts in Onondaga, Monroe and Erie counties was delivered to Hochul’s desk on New Year’s Eve.
Rather than sign or veto the bill, Hochul is using a procedure allowed by the state constitution to buy herself an extra month to consider the legislation.
The governor can delay acting on any bill delivered on the last day of the year. Hochul will have an additional 30 days from the first day of the legislative year, until Feb. 6, to act on the legislation.
Democrats who control the state Assembly and Senate passed the judicial redistricting bill on the last day of their legislative session in June.
In Upstate New York, judicial districts span multiple counties, mixing Democratic-dominant cities with many Republican-heavy suburban and rural counties.
The proposed change would make Onondaga, Monroe and Erie counties each a separate district that would include Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo – cities with lopsided Democratic voter enrollment advantages.
New York State Democrats are seeking to reorganize the state’s judicial districts under a new bill. This photo shows the current outline of the districts on June, 12, 2025.Courtesy of New York Courts
The bill’s Democratic supporters said the bill will help increase racial diversity in the judiciary and allow urban areas to have judges who better reflect the demographics of their communities.
Republicans said the bill amounts to political gerrymandering aimed at swinging judicial districts in favor of Democrats.