Control of redistricting in New York will be handed to a federal court after state lawmakers were unable to agree on a new proposal for the state’s congressional lines.
Lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled state Assembly and GOP-controlled state Senate have been working for almost a year to draft a suitable map, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) threatened to veto the version they submitted weeks ago, calling it overly partisan.
With lawmakers expected to be unable to meet a Monday night deadline to propose a new map, a panel of three federal judges put in place a process for the courts to draw the new lines. U.S. Magistrate Roanne Mann has been named as the special master and ordered the panel to develop a new proposal by Wednesday, the Times Union reported.
New York is losing two congressional seats in 2012 due to population growth over the past decade that was slower than in other states.
(Source: The Hill)
