STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Rep. Nicole Malliotakis is firing back against a new lawsuit seeking to redraw Staten Island’s congressional district.
The New York Times reported Monday that a lawsuit has been filed in State Supreme Court arguing that the lines for the 11th Congressional District, which includes Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn, unconstitutionally dilute the votes of Black and Latino residents.
The suit claims that the current district lines “confine Staten Island’s growing Black and Latino communities in a district where they are routinely and systematically unable to influence elections,” according to the report.
The lawsuit, filed by Washington D.C.-based Elias Law Group, thrusts New York into the midst of gerrymandering efforts taking place across the country, as both parties look to redraw districts in an effort to flip or maintain seats during the 2026 midterm elections.
In a written statement provided to the Advance/SILive.com, Malliotakis referred to the suit as a “terrible abuse of the legal process.”
“This is a frivolous lawsuit trying to upend our congressional district which was drawn by a court-appointed special master and later enacted into state law by the state’s independent redistricting commission, the Democrat-controlled state legislature and Democrat governor. This is a terrible abuse of the legal process by an ultra-partisan Washington law firm that does the bidding of the national Democrat Party in an attempt to tilt the scale to give their party an advantage in next year’s election,” the statement read.
A Politico report claims that New York Democrats are aiming to redraw the district in a way that would group Staten Island with parts of Lower Manhattan in an effort to take the seat back from Republicans in 2026.
Shortly after the suit was filed, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, who currently represents the 10th Congressional District, announced he would challenge Malliotakis if the suit succeeds, according to the report.
“NY-10 is my home and I will be running for Congress in my home district,” Goldman said in a statement. “If Staten Island is drawn into my district, then I will be ready to step up and take the fight for democracy and a Democratic House majority to Nicole Malliotakis’ doorstep.”
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