Less than a week after the last one was struck down, a new lawsuit seeking to invalidate Assembly district lines drawn by the majority Democratic state legislature and consolidate this year’s primary into one date was filed by a bipartisan group of plaintiffs in Manhattan Supreme Court Monday.
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Paul Nichols joins former state Senate candidate Gary Greenberg and New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax in Monday’s suit. This follows Steuben County Judge Patrick McAllister throwing out another separate from Greenberg and Wax seeking to invalidate the Assembly maps last week, citing a tight timeline that would make it difficult to draw new maps before the June 28 primary.
Nichols – who’s facing off against Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams – said this suit is about rebuilding people’s trust in Democracy.
“For too long political leaders have placed their interests before the people they are entrusted to serve,” Nichols said in a release. “This important action today is a critical step forward in the battle to rebuild the lost trust in government. Fairness, participation, inclusion, and following the law should be the bedrock of our democracy in the State of New York.”
Greenberg said the changes they’re seeking would right the wrong of the unconstitutionally drawn maps – even though the Court of Appeals never ruled the Assembly lines unconstitutional – making this year’s elections far more fair.
Both suits aiming to throw out the Assembly lines come after a New York State Court of Appeals decision last month ruling the Democratic-controlled legislature drawn Congressional and state Senate maps unconstitutional and tasking McAllister and his chosen special master – Jonathan Cervas – with redrawing the districts.
Cervas has to present the redrawn maps to McAllister by a May 20 deadline.
