Supreme Court grants Republicans’ request to pause order to redraw New York congressional map

SCOTUSblog

by Amy Howe

March 3, 2026

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The U.S. Supreme Court has granted a request by Republicans to pause an order that would have required New York to redraw its congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections. The court’s decision, which came over objections from three Democratic-appointed justices, centers on a challenge to the boundaries of New York’s 11th Congressional District, which is argued to dilute the voting power of Black and Latino residents. In a unsigned order, the court sided with Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and others who sought to halt a lower court ruling that would have forced the state to adopt a new map. The case began when a group of voters sued, claiming the district’s boundaries violated the New York Constitution by underrepresenting minority voices. A trial court judge, Justice Jeffrey Pearlman, ruled in their favor in January, ordering the state’s independent redistricting commission to propose a new map by February 6. However, the state’s intermediate appellate court declined to pause Pearlman’s order, prompting the challengers to seek intervention from the Supreme Court. In a three-page opinion, Justice Samuel Alito argued that Pearlman’s order amounted to “unadorned racial discrimination,” contending that it improperly prioritized minority voters over federal election laws. He criticized Pearlman for relying on state law to justify what he described as a violation of federal constitutional rights. Alito also emphasized the court’s role in preventing potential conflicts with its ability to review the case, while acknowledging the general principle that courts should avoid altering election rules close to an election. The ruling has sparked criticism from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who dissented alongside Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Sotomayor accused the majority of reversing its usual practice of avoiding state election litigation and questioned the court’s unprecedented decision to intervene in a state-level redistricting dispute. The case highlights ongoing tensions over federal authority versus state control

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Originally published on SCOTUSblog on 3/3/2026