Judge strikes down New York law intended to protect minority groups' voting power

A judge has struck down a state law that made it easier for New Yorkers to sue over electoral divisions and voting rules that weakened the political voice of minority groups, saying its special protections based on race and ethnicity are unconstitutional.

Orange County state court Justice Maria Vazquez-Doles struck down New York’s Voting Rights Act of 2022 on Thursday in a decision in which she also dismissed a lawsuit brought by six Black and Hispanic voters against the Town of Newburgh.

In the suit, the residents challenged the way people were elected to the town's board, arguing that “at-large” elections to pick board members in the majority-white town had kept Black and Hispanic residents from electing their candidates of choice. They asked the court to impose a system in which the town, located about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of New York City, would elect board members by district.

New York’s Voting Rights Act created a pathway for voters to challenge at-large elections that led to racially polarized voting patterns or impaired a racial, ethnic or language-group's ability to get members of their community into office.