A New York state judge has ruled that the boundaries of New York City’s only Republican-held congressional district violate the state constitution, ordering the district to be redrawn ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman on Wednesday found that the current configuration of New York’s 11th Congressional District unlawfully diluted the voting power of Black and Latino residents.
The district encompasses all of Staten Island and portions of southern Brooklyn and is currently represented by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.
In his ruling, Pearlman concluded that the district lines were drawn in a way that failed to reflect demographic changes and did not adequately protect minority voting strength, as required under the New York State Constitution.
He ordered the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to produce a new map by Feb. 6, setting up a fast-moving redraw process with potential implications for the balance of power in the U.S. House.
The lawsuit was brought by a group of voters represented by an election law firm aligned with Democrats.
The plaintiffs argued that population growth among Black and Hispanic residents on Staten Island warranted adjustments to district boundaries and that the existing map improperly concentrated those voters, limiting their electoral influence. They proposed expanding the district to include parts of lower Manhattan, a heavily Democratic area.
WATCH:
🚨 A liberal judge has THROWN OUT the ONLY Republican U.S. Congressional seat in New York City, presenting Democrats with a chance to gerrymander it blue for the 2026 midterms
New York, Maryland, Virginia, they are ALL going for broke now to gain seats through redistricting.… pic.twitter.com/NJJ1iGtfz5
— The Dibster (@TheDibsterX) January 22, 2026
Republicans sharply criticized the ruling, framing it as a partisan intervention in the redistricting process. Malliotakis said the decision undermines the will of Staten Island voters and signaled that an appeal is likely.
She called the ruling “a frivolous attempt by Washington Democrats to steal this congressional seat from the people and we are very confident that we will prevail at the end of the day.”
GOP leaders warned that altering the district could effectively erase the city’s lone Republican seat in Congress.
Democrats, meanwhile, defended the ruling as a necessary correction. Supporters of the lawsuit said the decision reinforces constitutional protections against racial vote dilution and ensures that congressional maps reflect population shifts rather than partisan advantage.
“We are pleased that the court correctly recognized that the current district lines have systematically diluted the votes of Black and Latino Staten Islanders, despite decades of demographic growth in those communities,” Elias Law Group Partner Aria Branch said, per Fox News.
The firm is a noted left-wing group that is heavily involved in Democratic politics.
Branch went on to claim that the ruling reaffirms that New York’s Constitution “provides robust protections against racial vote dilution, and we are proud to have stood with our clients to vindicate those rights.”
The judge also claimed in the ruling that there was strong evidence of a “racially polarized voting bloc,” as well as “a history of discrimination that impacts current day political participation and representation,” and “that racial appeals are still made in political campaigns today.”
The case adds another chapter to New York’s contentious redistricting battles, which have repeatedly drawn judicial scrutiny since the 2020 census.
In 2022, the state’s Democratic-drawn congressional map was struck down by the courts, leading to a court-imposed map that helped Republicans gain several seats that year.
Nationally, the decision comes as both parties intensify legal and political fights over redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms, when control of the House is expected to be closely contested. Similar lawsuits are pending or underway in multiple states, underscoring the growing role of courts in shaping the congressional battlefield.
If the ruling stands, the redesigned map could significantly alter the political makeup of the 11th District, potentially making it far more competitive—or even safely Democratic—depending on how new boundaries are drawn.
Appeals are expected, and the final outcome may not be settled until well into the election cycle.