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Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents New York\u2019s 11th Congressional District, faces a new legal challenge to her seat as voters from Staten Island and southern Brooklyn seek to redraw district lines.<\/p>\n
File photo by Paul Frangipane<\/p>\n
Voters from Staten Island and Brooklyn filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the NY-11<\/a> congressional map, targeting Rep. Nicole Malliotakis\u2019 seat \u2014 the city\u2019s only Republican-held district \u2014 and arguing that the current boundaries weaken the political influence of Black and Latino residents \u201cunconstitutionally.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit, filed in state court, claims the district\u2019s current configuration \u2014 which includes all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Fort Hamilton \u2014 fails to reflect the borough\u2019s changing demographics. The plaintiffs say the map denies communities of color the opportunity to \u201croutinely and systematically influence elections,\u201d according to the suit.<\/p>\n They also argue that the district lines violate the state\u2019s Voting Rights Act and \u201cthe state constitution\u2019s prohibition against racial vote dilution.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe racial demographics of Staten Island have changed significantly over the last several decades, but the 2024 Congressional Map does not reflect those changes,\u201d the plaintiffs said in their complaint. They said the borough\u2019s combined<\/a> Black and Latino population has increased from 11% to 30% over the past 40 years.<\/p>\n Malliotakis, a Republican first elected to Congress in 2020, currently represents District 11. Before that, she served in the New York State Assembly from 2011 to 2020, representing parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn for five terms. The daughter of a Greek father and a Cuban mother who fled political exile, Malliotakis identifies as both Greek and Hispanic. In 2010, she became the first Hispanic American<\/a> to win elected office in Staten Island.<\/p>\n The suit\u2019s plaintiffs are calling for a redraw that would connect Staten Island to parts of lower Manhattan, creating what they describe as a \u201cminority-influence district.\u201d If successful, the lawsuit could reshape the state\u2019s congressional landscape, potentially flipping a Republican seat and strengthening Democrats\u2019 efforts to regain control of the U.S. House.<\/p>\n State pushback<\/p>\n Republican leaders swiftly condemned the filing. In a statement, New York GOP Chair Ed Cox blasted the legal effort as a \u201cfrivolous attempt to circumvent\u201d prior court rulings.<\/p>\n \u201cThis new lawsuit is a frivolous attempt to circumvent the clear reading of both the New York State Constitution and the Court of Appeals decisions concerning redistricting,\u201d Cox said. \u201cThis latest lawsuit, brought by the same lawyers who previously defended the unconstitutional state gerrymander in 2022, is seeking a blatant racial gerrymander in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone should see this effort for what it is: a naked attempt to disenfranchise voters in NY-11 and elect a Democrat to this congressional district contrary to the will of voters,\u201d Cox continued.<\/p>\n In a statement to Brooklyn Paper, Malliotakis deemed the suit \u201cfrivolous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a terrible abuse of the legal process by an ultra-partisan Washington law firm that does the bidding of the national Democratic Party in an attempt to tilt the scales to give their party an advantage in next year\u2019s election,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In contrast, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman \u2014 who represents NY-10, covering lower Manhattan and much of western Brooklyn \u2014 said \u201cflipping the House isn\u2019t optional.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cIf 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\u2019 doorstep,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cNothing can stand in the way of us defeating Donald Trump and his spineless lackeys in Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n A national battle over representation<\/p>\n The case comes amid renewed national battles over redistricting, following Republican-led efforts in states such as Texas, Missouri and North Carolina to solidify GOP advantages.<\/p>\n In August, Gov. Kathy Hochul signaled that she would support redrawing New York\u2019s congressional maps in response. \u201cRepublicans are law-breaking cowboys,\u201d Hochul told NBC News, adding that she was open to working with Democratic lawmakers to revisit the state\u2019s redistricting process. Other states, including California<\/a> and Virginia<\/a>, have also begun their own efforts to counter GOP-led plans.<\/p>\n New York currently sends 19 Democrats and seven Republicans to the U.S. House. If District 11 were redrawn to favor Democrats, it could become a crucial pickup in what\u2019s expected to be another fiercely contested national map fight in the 2026 midterm elections.<\/p>\n Legal and political consequences<\/p>\n Jeffrey Wise, a professor at New York Law School and an expert on redistricting and voting rights, said the case could move quickly through the courts given the upcoming election timeline.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will be fast-tracked by the courts for a new map to be drawn in the event of the plaintiffs\u2019 win,\u201d Wise told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cThe challenge has to go through a two-month or less hearing by the State Supreme Court in Manhattan. The losing parties can appeal to the Appellate Division, followed by an appeal to the State Supreme Court, with the 2026 congressional petitioning period starting in late February.\u201d<\/p>\n Wise said one of the key issues before the court will be whether the plaintiffs can demonstrate a \u201chigh level of racially polarized voting\u201d to justify creating an additional district. He noted, however, that the case faces a significant legal hurdle: \u201cThe State Voting Rights Act is mentioned in the complaint, but it does not govern the law for congressional redistricting.\u201d<\/p>\n Wise called the plaintiffs\u2019 approach \u201ca novel one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe State Voting Rights Act applies to local governments \u2014 counties, towns, cities, school boards and villages \u2014 but was not intended to impact congressional redistricting,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n He added that any changes to the district could significantly alter the political balance of Malliotakis\u2019 seat.\n<\/p>\n \u201cAny change to the districts could imperil Malliotakis\u2019 ability to get reelected, as Staten Island joined with parts of lower Manhattan; something that has not happened since the 1970s.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Wise also noted that the district has shifted over the decades since the construction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.\n<\/p>\n \u201cStaten Island used to share with Manhattan, but that ended in the 1980s when the district was redrawn after the 1980 census to connect Staten Island with Brooklyn,\u201d he said. \u201cA Democrat won that district then, but subsequently lost it after 1990.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rep. 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U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis\u2019 district is at the center of a lawsuit alleging unconstitutional dilution of Black and Latino voting power.File photo by Andrew Kelly\/REUTERS<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20250721_PF_Bay_Ridge_Scenes_03.jpg\")
New York\u2019s 11th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, covers all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Fort Hamilton.File photo by Paul Frangipane<\/p>\n