Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the U.S. Supreme Court had asserted a "newfound authority" after it halted a New York state court order that would have required the state to redraw New York City’s only Republican-held congressional district before the 2026 midterm elections.
The ruling left the current lines in place for now in a closely watched fight over House control.
The emergency action stopped a January ruling that had found the district unfair to Black and Hispanic voters. The district is represented by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and covers Staten Island and part of Brooklyn. The move preserves the current map as New York’s election calendar advances.
Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, said the court had inserted itself into a state election dispute before New York’s highest court had ruled.
She argued that the justices had acted without explanation and warned that the move could pull the court into election-law disputes nationwide as states continue to fight over congressional boundaries.
Malliotakis praised the decision, saying it kept New York’s 11th Congressional District intact and protected Staten Island and southern Brooklyn voters from losing the ability to elect a representative who reflects their views.
New York Republican Party Chair Ed Cox, who, after the Supreme Court stay, called the lawsuit "a blatantly political case," and said Justice Samuel Alito was correct to describe the lower court order as "a full-blown racial gerrymander."
Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, called the intervention extraordinary and said it short-circuited New York’s judicial process.
Jeffrey Wice, a redistricting expert at New York Law School, said the case is still alive legally, but that for the 2026 election cycle, the map enacted in 2024 remains the operative one.
“The case isn’t over yet legally, but for the purposes of the 2026 elections, the map the Legislature enacted in 2024 remains in place, and Nicole Malliotakis will run for reelection in the district that now includes Staten Island and Brooklyn."
In the March 2 order, the justices formally stayed the Jan. 21 New York trial court ruling pending the appeal in the state courts and any later petition for Supreme Court review.
Justice Samuel Alito, concurring, wrote that the lower court order "blatantly discriminates on the basis of race."
Sotomayor, in dissent, wrote that there was "no final decision from any state court, let alone New York’s highest court," on any federal question.
Sotomayor also wrote that the court had taken the "unprecedented step" of staying a state trial court decision in a redistricting dispute without giving the state’s highest court a chance to act.
For now, the existing district lines remain in force while the larger legal fight continues in New York.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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