Dems’ redistricting maneuvers were an embarrassment

Fred Lebrun offers a sad excuse for state Democrats and their efforts to undermine the 2014 voter-approved constitutional amendment regarding redistricting (“At last, a smart move from Democrats,” March 10). That amendment was intended to limit the unrestricted power of the Legislature over redistricting and imposed the strongest state constitutional provision in the nation against partisan redistricting.

Of 435 seats in the U.S. House, only 60 seats are truly competitive districts. Nine of those districts are in New York state, thanks to the plan drafted by a neutral expert in 2022 after the Court of Appeals rejected the blatant violation of the constitution by state Democrats and Gov. Kathy Hochul.

In the process, Democrats unfairly maligned Hochul’s first nominee to become chief judge of the Court of Appeals and succeeded in having Judge Rowan Wilson confirmed to the position. Wilson’s December opinion in a case brought by Democrats ordered a new map to be created by the Independent Redistricting Commission. Wilson’s 4-3 majority opinion in that case ignored precedent and was accurately labeled as “political” by the dissent. The credibility of the court was severely undermined in the process.

After two years of chaos, the new map is not materially different from the one drafted by the neutral expert in 2022. The threat of new litigation apparently brought Democrats belatedly to their senses. But the entire process has been a disgrace and, like Lebrun, Democrats are not embarrassed.

John Faso Kinderhook The writer previously served in Congress and the state Legislature.