New York’s redistricting commission must redraw the 11th Congressional District connecting Staten Island and southern Brooklyn after a federal judge ruled the current boundaries violate constitutional principles, a decision that could reshape one of the city’s most politically competitive seats.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission to submit new maps within 45 days, finding that the current district configuration dilutes voting power and creates an unconstitutional gerrymander. The ruling affects roughly 776,000 residents across Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Bensonhurst.
The 11th District, currently represented by Republican Nicole Malliotakis, has been a focal point in Politics & Government battles over congressional representation since the 2020 census required New York to lose one House seat. The district’s unusual geography—connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn neighborhoods via the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge—has drawn criticism from voting rights advocates who argue it artificially combines disparate communities.
“This district was clearly drawn to protect an incumbent rather than reflect natural community boundaries,” said Susan Chen, director of the New York Voting Rights Project. “Staten Island voters have different priorities than Brooklyn residents, and forcing them together weakens both communities’ voices in Congress.”
The legal challenge, brought by a coalition of Brooklyn residents and voting rights organizations, argued that the current boundaries violate the “one person, one vote” principle by creating a district where geographic barriers prevent effective representation. Plaintiffs pointed to the limited transportation connections between Staten Island and Brooklyn, arguing that constituents on opposite ends of the district have little in common demographically or economically.
Judge Kaplan’s 47-page ruling acknowledged these concerns, writing that “while some degree of geographic complexity is inevitable in urban redistricting, the current configuration creates barriers to representation that exceed constitutional limits.” The judge specifically cited the district’s 15-mile span across New York Harbor as evidence of “impermissible gerrymandering.”
The decision comes as New York grapples with broader redistricting challenges following the state’s loss of a congressional seat after the 2020 census. The 11th District was reconfigured in 2022 to maintain Staten Island’s representation while absorbing population from Brooklyn to meet equal population requirements.
Malliotakis, who won reelection in November with 58% of the vote, criticized the ruling as “judicial activism” that ignores voter preferences. “The people of Staten Island and southern Brooklyn have more in common than Albany politicians want to admit,” she said in a statement. “We share concerns about public safety, taxes, and federal overreach that transcend borough boundaries.”
But Brooklyn Democratic leaders welcomed the decision, arguing that their constituents have been underrepresented in a district dominated by Staten Island voters. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso noted that while Brooklyn residents make up roughly 40% of the district’s population, their priorities often differ sharply from Staten Island on issues like transportation funding and environmental policy.
The redistricting commission now faces the challenge of creating new boundaries that satisfy both legal requirements and political realities. Options under consideration include creating a purely Staten Island-based district supplemented by areas of southern Manhattan, or dividing Staten Island between multiple districts that extend into Brooklyn and New Jersey.
Each approach carries significant political implications. A Staten Island-only district would likely remain safely Republican, while dividing the borough could create more competitive races. Brooklyn Democratic leaders have pushed for boundaries that would unite their neighborhoods with similar communities in western Brooklyn or southern Manhattan.
“Our communities in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights have much more in common with Sunset Park and Red Hook than they do with Staten Island,” said Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “Redistricting should reflect natural community ties, not artificial political calculations.”
The ruling also affects New York’s broader congressional delegation strategy. With 26 House seats, New York’s delegation plays a crucial role in federal policy affecting the city, from transportation funding to immigration policy. The 11th District’s reconfiguration could influence the delegation’s overall partisan balance and policy priorities.
Transportation advocates have particularly criticized the current district boundaries, noting that Staten Island and Brooklyn residents face different transit challenges that require different federal solutions. Staten Island relies heavily on express buses and the Staten Island Railway, while Brooklyn neighborhoods in the district depend on subway service and bike infrastructure.
“You can’t effectively advocate for both express bus funding and subway improvements when your constituents are divided by geography and transportation networks,” said Rebecca Martinez, director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
The redistricting commission has until January 30 to submit new maps, which must then undergo public hearings before implementation. The compressed timeline reflects the need to finalize boundaries before candidate filing deadlines for the 2024 elections.
Legal experts predict the new maps will face additional court challenges regardless of their configuration, as both parties seek to maximize their advantages in what remains a closely divided House of Representatives. New York’s redistricting battles have become a national focus given the state’s loss of congressional seats and the narrow partisan margins in Washington.
The ultimate resolution could set precedents for similar redistricting challenges in other urban areas where geography complicates representation, making New York’s 11th District a test case for how courts balance political considerations with constitutional requirements in congressional redistricting.
