A coalition of civil liberties groups sued the Republican-controlled Legislature in Nassau County in New York, claiming that a new voting map discriminates against Blacks, Latinos, and Asians in violation of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
The suit, filed Feb. 8 against the Long Island suburb, claims the current redistricting map was gerrymandered by the Nassau County Legislature to deprive communities of color, prompting the legal action to ensure a fair process in the upcoming presidential election.
The action was joined by the New York Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Steptoe law firm in Washington, which has been widely praised in the past for its pro bono work.
The legal case cites breaches of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, as well as the New York Municipal Home Rule law, particularly in areas of the county that have been plagued by decades of housing discrimination, inadequate public transportation, and overlapping public services.
Previously, the plaintiffs notified the Legislature in December, allowing the body 50 days to fix the violations, but the Legislature refused to cooperate.
“The Nassau County Legislature has had ample opportunity to draw a fair and equitable map, yet it has chosen to stand by its egregious racial gerrymander in violation of multiple state laws,” said Ronak Patel, a legal fellow at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. “This suit will correct the Legislature’s failure and ensure that communities of color, including the rapidly growing Asian American community of Greater New Hyde Park, have an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process.”
The gerrymandering allegations are the latest to emerge nationally after many states were required to redraw congressional districts to reflect population changes from the 2020 Census.
The case against Nassau County follows similar legal challenges in Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana — which forced Republican legislators in those states to redraw congressional maps in recent months.
More than a million residents live in Nassau County, an area of Long Island known for its rich cultural diversity.
But the county’s newest congressional map was drawn without much public input and faced immediate backlash because it only left intact four out of 19 districts where Black, Latino, and Asian residents are the majority of eligible voters, the civil attorneys claimed.
In a statement, the plaintiffs noted in particular that the Asian population in Nassau County, which surged nearly 60 percent over the past decade, would be disproportionately impacted by the current voting map.
A fair version of the map, they said, would feature a minimum of six districts where Black, Latino, and Asian residents make up the majority of eligible voters, along with a parallel district that would help to safeguard the voting power of a growing number of Asian citizens.
The discrepancies led New York civil advocates to file the lawsuit, accusing lawmakers of splitting and concentrating communities of color in areas like Lakeview, Freeport, Inwood, South Valley Stream, Elmont, Uniondale, and New Hyde Park.
“The Nassau County Legislature’s attempt to squash the electoral power of Black, Latino, and Asian voters speaks to growing, nationwide efforts to disenfranchise communities of color and gut legal protections for their voting rights,” said Perry Grossman, director of the Voting Rights Project at the New York Civil Liberties Union.
“New York’s voting rights law is one of the strongest in the nation, and we are utilizing every protection we secured to fight discrimination and ensure fair, equitable representation for all voters in Nassau County.”
The urgency of the issue was evident as the 2024 primary season was well underway, with electoral districts still in flux as Republicans resorted to discriminatory tactics in their bid to secure Donald Trump’s relection in November.
