The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked a lower court order that would have required New York to redraw the boundaries of its 11th Congressional District, preserving the current map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The unsigned emergency ruling leaves in place the only New York City congressional seat held by a Republican, represented by Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis. The decision came after a Manhattan trial judge in January found that the district’s configuration diluted the voting strength of Black and Latino residents and directed the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to redraw the lines.
Malliotakis welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, emphasizing that it “stopped the voters on Staten Island and in Southern Brooklyn from being stripped of their ability to elect a representative who reflects their values,” asserting that the ruling upheld the integrity of the district’s current boundaries.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Samuel Alito contended that the state court had “blatantly discriminated on the basis of race” and described the directive to create a district favoring minority voters as “unadorned racial discrimination” that violates the Constitution.
The three liberal justices on the Supreme Court issued a dissent. Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the majority for stepping into an ongoing state court process, writing, “Time and again, this Court has said that federal courts should not interfere with state-court litigation.” She warned that the intervention risked drawing the court into election disputes nationwide.
The case began in October, when four New York residents challenged the 2024 map, arguing it weakened minority voting power. The Supreme Court’s ruling is temporary as appeals continue, but it is likely that the current district boundaries will be used for the next election.
