New York Nassau County Legislature Redistricting Challenge

Lawsuit filed on behalf of New York Communities for Change and four Latino voters against Nassau County, the Nassau County Legislature, the Nassau County Board of Elections and various Nassau County officials, challenging the county’s map. The plaintiffs allege that the county Legislature violated the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA) while creating its redistricting plan, packing minority voters into four majority-minority districts instead of creating a possible map with six majority-minority districts. They also allege that the county legislature “cracked” a large community of Asian voters across three different districts instead of allowing the community to remain in one district where they could have greater representation. This map, the plaintiffs argue, significantly decreases the voting power minority residents have on the 19-member legislative branch of Nassau County. The plaintiffs ask the court to find that the Nassau County Legislature map violates the NYVRA and adopt a new map.

A state court trial began on Dec. 17, 2024. On Dec. 23, 2024, defendants attempted to remove the case to federal court. A federal court judge rejected this on Dec. 31, 2024.

On Jan. 5, 2025, defendants filed a motion to disqualify the court for allegedly making prejudgments before hearing both sides’ argument. The judge denied the motion in an oral order on Jan. 6, 2025. Trial ended on Jan. 10, 2025.

RESULT: On Jan. 22, 2025, the plaintiffs and defendants filed a motion to settle the case. Under the settlement, Nassau County will adopt a new county legislature map with six majority-minority districts, in compliance with the NYVRA. The court approved the settlement on Jan. 23, 2025.

Last updated: January 23, 2025 4:35 pm EST