She called the Senate majority’s Congressional map “quite frankly, with all due respect, good old-fashioned gerrymandering.” Mann asked whether gerrymandering and “horse-trading” should be considered as “an expression of state policy” to be factored into the court’s final analysis.
She also repeatedly brought up the fact that any incumbent drawn out of his or her district could hypothetically still run for re-election because members of Congress are not required to reside in their districts. “Are you suggesting voters should reject that incumbent for living outside the district?” Mann asked.
And later, as if thinking out loud, the magistrate acknowledged that with New York set to lose two districts, the pairing of incumbents in the same district was unavoidable. “I don’t know if all things are equal,” she said. “Why not let the chips fall where they may?”
Mann is scheduled to release her own maps by March 12.
Mann’s map was released a week ahead of schedule on March 6, one day after she held her hearing in Brooklyn that centered on whether she should consider where incumbents live while drafting her own map. She will hold another public hearing on the maps on March 15 in federal court in Brooklyn, and then would have three days to finalize her maps. The petitioning period for potential congressional candidates to get on a primary ballot begins March 20.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!
Michael H. Drucker
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