A judge has ruled that the wording on a November ballot item making changes to New York‘s redistricting process is biased and must be altered before Election Day.
The Supreme Court judge ruled that language describing a new board created to oversee redistricting in New York as independent is misleading and must be struck from the amendment’s description.
“The commission cannot be described as independent when eight of the ten members are the hand-picked appointees of legislative leaders,” and two are “essentially political appointees by proxy,” wrote Judge Patrick McGrath.
Susan Lerner, with Common Cause, one of the groups that brought the lawsuit, says the decision is a victory.
“This is a validation from an objective observer,” said Lerner, who believes the commission simply is not independent.
Lerner says the ruling bolsters the group's argument that the changes are fake reform and that voters should reject the amendment. Other groups, including the League of Women Voters, continue to back the proposal.
