Lawyers representing a group of South Asian voters in Queens will be in court on Thursday arguing that the New York City Districting Commission should redraw boundaries for City Council districts to achieve fairer and more equitable representation for their community.
They argue the final map approved last year splinters a growing South Asian community across three City Council districts — 28, 29 and 32 — and violates the New York City Charter’s mandate to ensure racial minority groups are protected. In opposing papers, the city Law Department argues the case should be dismissed because the court challenge was filed too late — one day before the start of ballot petitioning and four months after the plan was certified. The city also dismisses claims that the plan is discriminatory.
The case comes as Council candidates began collecting signatures last week, using the current district lines to secure a spot on the June 27 primary ballot — or their party’s nomination if they are running unopposed. A decision to throw out the current maps would likely result in an additional primary election and create further fallout for other city agencies like the New York City Campaign Finance Board, which is already using the current maps to determine who qualifies for public matching funds.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund filed the lawsuit against the city’s districting commission last month. The commission drew the new Council district lines based on the most recent census data, 35 hours of public hearings with community members, as well as legal considerations stemming from the federal Voting Rights Act and the City Charter.
The case centers on the Queens neighborhoods of Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, and more specifically along a 2-mile strip of Liberty Avenue, which plaintiffs say is the heart of a growing Indo-Caribbean and Punjabi community. The suit was filed on behalf of 18 individual voters and a community organization called Desis…
Read the full article here
