NY Dems, Corrupting Our Democracy

‘This time,” Justice Anthony Cannataro thundered Tuesday, “politics triumphs over free and fair elections.” Over the rule of law, too: New York’s top court just gave Democrats the go-ahead to gerrymander the state’s House seats after Dems stacked the Court of Appeals for just this reason.

Last year, Dem lawmakers pushed through patently gerrymandered maps, in clear violation of the state Constitution. After the Court of Appeals upheld the ruling that nixed those maps, Dems simply packed the court to get the “justice” they wanted.

First, they elevated Rowan Wilson from COA judge to the court’s chief judge via an unprecedented, and corrupt, legislative process. Next they filed an utterly baseless suit to toss the nonpartisan maps fairly drawn in 2022 by a neutral special master.

Then, Gov. Hochul’s pick to fill the Wilson vacancy, Caitlin Halligan, conveniently recused herself in that case — and Wilson tapped Dianne Renwick, who’d already ruled in Dems’ favor in a similar case, to fill in.

On Tuesday, Renwick and Wilson, joined by two more hard progressives, gave Dems the go-ahead. Next: The state’s Independent Redistricting Commission will deadlock or come up with a third set of maps that the Dem-dominated Legislature will then reject.

Either way, the Democratic supermajorities will be free to gerrymander again, aiming to steal two to six House seats.

This, when New York’s voters have demanded fair districting twice — in 2014, approving a state-constitutional amendment to ban gerrymandering, and in a 2021 referendum rejecting a bid to roll back the reform.

Ignore the law, then corrupt the courts to get away with it: Yet Democrats are shocked when polls show the voters don’t see Republicans posing a unique threat to democracy.