How Hochul's top court picks could help tip the balance of Congress

Democrats hope liberal judges will allow district maps to be redrawn [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] How Gov. Hochul's top court picks could help tip the balance of Congress [By Jon Campbell]( [the U.S. Capitol building on a cloudy day] Shutterstock Gov. Kathy Hochul’s latest picks for New York’s highest court could play a key role in deciding [whether the state will rip up its congressional district maps and start over]( — a move that could help determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 and beyond. Hochul last week nominated Associate Judge Rowan Wilson, a liberal, to take over as chief judge of the state Court of Appeals. On Monday, the state Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nomination to a full Senate vote. The governor also said she will tap Caitlin Halligan, the former state solicitor general, to take Wilson’s current position should he be confirmed by the state Senate. The nominations come as [a Democrat-led appeal challenging the state’s congressional maps]( continues to work its way through the courts. Democrats, who lost four seats in New York last year en route to losing control of the House, are fighting to have a state panel redraw the state’s 26 congressional districts. Those boundaries were drawn by an independent expert last year. Republicans performed well under the current map and are fighting to keep it in place. Should the case make it to the Court of Appeals, as many legal observers expect, Halligan could be in a position to cast the deciding vote. The other six Court of Appeals judges — which includes Wilson, who has been on the court since 2017 — split on a similar case last year that forced the removal of a set of Democrat-friendly maps. Halligan, a private attorney who specializes in appeals, has never served as a judge and has no known record on redistricting law. But Democrats are hopeful the latest court shakeup could improve their prospects for success, and legal experts say they have a better chance now that former Chief Judge Janet DiFiore — who cast the deciding vote in last year’s case — is no longer on the court. "The future of the appeal may rest in part on [Wilson’s] ability to sway judges to his side, as well as [Halligan] and where she might come down as a possibly deciding vote to send the congressional redistricting back," said Jeffrey Wice, a New York Law School professor who has specialized in redistricting issues for decades. The midlevel Appellate Division in Albany is scheduled to hear the Democrats’ appeal next month, after state Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch dismissed it late last year. ("I think not!" [Lynch wrote in his ruling]( If the midlevel court issues a split decision, it would clear the path for the case to go to the Court of Appeals. Otherwise, the attorneys would have to seek the top court’s approval before appealing the case further. [Read more on the Democrats' effort to redraw the state's congressional lines](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- More political headlines: [a portrait of Judge Rowan Wilson] [Who is Rowan Wilson? He's set to become NY's first Black chief judge.]( Wilson, a former private attorney who spent the last six years on New York’s Court of Appeals, has been one of the court’s most prolific opinion writers. [an MTA bus picking up migrants in front of a hotel] [With trip to D.C., NYC public advocate calls on feds to help with asylum seeker crisis]( Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is in the nation’s capital asking federal agencies and lawmakers to help provide job opportunities and other services for asylum seekers. [Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg presenting the case against Donald Trump during a press conference] [Funding for crime victims in jeopardy amid brawl between Manhattan DA and GOP reps]( House Republicans who claim the city isn’t doing enough to help those affected by crime are also threatening to cut federal grant money used to support victims. [Rep. George Santos in sunglasses outside trailed by reporters] [Why is George Santos running for re-election? Campaign finance experts have theories.]( Rep. Santos, who's facing multiple investigations, is allowed to use money he raises on the campaign trail to cover his legal expenses. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [the logo for Brian Lehrer's politics podcast] [How Hochul's housing plan in playing out on Long Island]( Hofstra University's Larry Levy talks about the arguments for and against Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to build up to 800,000 new homes across the state, which has generated intense opposition in the suburbs. [LISTEN]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential political coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list