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Who could have guessed New Yorkers would be given timely, competitive and fair new congressional election districts by our state Legislature, mandated every 10 years as our population shifts, without a state or federal court dictating those lines, directly or indirectly? I doubt anyone did.
We just broke at least a six-cycle, 60-year run of bitter partisan impasses requiring court interference. Although admittedly this is the second bite on the apple in this decade. The first time, two years ago, was a colossal embarrassment, with the court-ordered special master’s maps helping send what amounted to the Republican majority in the House that has been among the worst in American history.
That was on us, bluer-than-blue New York. I have a hunch some Democrat up the chain, about where Hakeem Jeffries sits, although that is strictly a guess, decided enough is enough. Too much is at stake here.
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After all, there are Democratic supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature, plus we have a Democratic governor. So why are we allowing ourselves to be tyrannized by the minority?
To reverse our fortunes, we needed a redo of the Court of Appeals decision that established the special master’s map that tilted the playing field........