NY Democrats ram through new congressional map that will give them an edge in elections — then changes law to limit challenges

New York Democrats rammed through new congressional maps that’ll give the party an edge in this year’s elections – then created new limits on legal challenges to their changes during an “emergency” vote Wednesday.

The vote on the Democratic-friendly maps happened so quickly after they were officially pitched that Gov. Kathy Hochul had to issue an emergency order to allow lawmakers to act.

With lawsuits looming to challenge their plan, state lawmakers also passed a bill that limits the filing of lawsuits against the changes to Democrat-friendly counties Erie, Albany, Westchester and New York.

The redrawn maps — which came after Democrats threw out a plan from a bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission — give a boost for the re-election of Rep. Tom Suozzi as well as “Squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman, experts say. Hochul is expected to approve the Democrats’ plan.

The Senate passed the maps 45-17 and the Assembly approved them 150 to 33 — mostly along partisan lines.

Outrage Wednesday was focused more on the legal maneuver than the maps themselves.

An Assembly debate erupted on the separate legislation to limit where challenges could be filed that had already made its way through the Senate.

“Is this Russia?,” asked Assemblyman Edward Flood (R-Suffolk) during the floor debate.

“This sounds like it’s from a communist country.”

“This doesn’t pass the smell test,” said Assemblyman David Di Pierto (R-East Aurora upstate-). “It goes against individual rights and everything we stand for.”

But Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D-Syracuse), the sponsor of the bill, defended the move to prevent “forum shopping” for favorable judges and to establish “sepcialty courts” in hearing redistricting cases.

Republicans scoffed at that argument, noting redistricting is done every 10 years and there’s no need for a speciality court, as there is for the numerous housing and small claims cases.

The 2022 successful lawsuit toppling the Democrats’ maps was brought in upstate Steuben County, and upheld by the mid-level court and the Court of Appeals.

The Democrats set up the legal restrictions as billionaire conservative activist Ronald Lauder is mulling bankrolling a lawsuit to block the maps.

But former Rep. John Faso, a key architect of a successful challenge to 2022 maps, said he wouldn’t file a suit this time around.

“There’s no basis for a lawsuit, Faso said. “The plan the Democrats approved is not materially different from the maps the special master had drawn in 2022 after we won the case.

The Harkenrider case two years ago, branded by critics as the “Hochulmander” lawsuit, led to district boundaries getting reshaped by a court-ordered special master.

State Republican Party chairman Ed Cox agreed.

“Despite Democrats’ ongoing corruption of the process, these lines are not materially different from those drawn by the special master,” Cox said.

“As such, there is no need for further litigation.”

Republican lawmakers complained more about Democratic lawmakers’ decision to reject the IRC maps than the changes actually made to them.

“Unfortunately politics interjected itself. The maps favor incumbents in my option,” said Long Island Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-Riverhead).

Assemblyman Michael Durso (R-Massapequa Park) said the Democrats’ map changes affect 10 of the 26 House districts.

In a bizarre turn of events, the lawmakers were forced to revisit the bruising redistricting issue this year after the state’s highest court — the Court of Appeals with a new chief judge — reversed itself last December and ordered a do-over for the maps.