A coalition of civil liberties teams sued the Republican-controlled Legislature in Nassau County in New York, claiming {that a} new voting map discriminates in opposition to Blacks, Latinos, and Asians in violation of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
The go well with, filed Feb. 8 in opposition to the Lengthy Island suburb, claims the present redistricting map was gerrymandered by the Nassau County Legislature to deprive communities of colour, prompting the authorized motion to make sure a good course of within the upcoming presidential election.
The motion was joined by the New York Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Asian American Authorized Protection and Training Fund, and the Steptoe legislation agency in Washington, which has been extensively praised up to now for its professional bono work.
The authorized case cites breaches of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, in addition to the New York Municipal Residence Rule legislation, significantly in areas of the county which have been tormented by many years of housing discrimination, insufficient public transportation, and overlapping public companies.
Beforehand, the plaintiffs notified the Legislature in December, permitting the physique 50 days to repair the violations, however the Legislature refused to cooperate.
“The Nassau County Legislature has had ample alternative to attract a good and equitable map, but it has chosen to face by its egregious racial gerrymander in violation of a number of state legal guidelines,” stated Ronak Patel, a authorized fellow on the Asian American Authorized Protection and Training Fund. “This go well with will right the Legislature’s failure and be certain that communities of colour, together with the quickly rising Asian American neighborhood of Better New Hyde Park, have an equal alternative to take part within the democratic course of.”
The gerrymandering allegations are the most recent to emerge nationally after many states have been required to redraw congressional districts to mirror inhabitants modifications from the 2020 Census.
The case in opposition to Nassau County follows comparable authorized challenges in Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana — which compelled Republican legislators in these states to redraw congressional maps in current months.
Greater than one million residents reside in Nassau County, an space of Lengthy Island identified for its wealthy cultural range.
However the county’s latest congressional map was drawn with out a lot public enter and confronted instant backlash as a result of it solely left intact 4 out of 19 districts the place Black, Latino, and Asian residents are the vast majority of eligible voters, the civil attorneys claimed.
In an announcement, the plaintiffs famous particularly that the Asian inhabitants in Nassau County, which surged almost 60 p.c over the previous decade, can be disproportionately impacted by the present voting map.
A good model of the map, they stated, would function a minimal of six districts the place Black, Latino, and Asian residents make up the vast majority of eligible voters, together with a parallel district that will assist to safeguard the voting energy of a rising variety of Asian residents.
The discrepancies led New York civil advocates to file the lawsuit, accusing lawmakers of splitting and concentrating communities of colour in areas like Lakeview, Freeport, Inwood, South Valley Stream, Elmont, Uniondale, and New Hyde Park.
“The Nassau County Legislature’s try to squash the electoral energy of Black, Latino, and Asian voters speaks to rising, nationwide efforts to disenfranchise communities of colour and intestine authorized protections for his or her voting rights,” stated Perry Grossman, director of the Voting Rights Challenge on the New York Civil Liberties Union.
“New York’s voting rights legislation is among the strongest within the nation, and we’re using each safety we secured to battle discrimination and guarantee honest, equitable illustration for all voters in Nassau County.”
The urgency of the problem was evident because the 2024 major season was properly underway, with electoral districts nonetheless in flux as Republicans resorted to discriminatory techniques of their bid to safe Donald Trump’s relection in November.
