By John Kruzel
WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court gave a potential boost to Republican hopes of retaining control of Congress in November’s elections, siding on Monday with a Republican lawmaker in a dispute over the makeup of the only congressional district in New York City held by a member of President Donald Trump’s party.
The court granted a request by U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis, who is running for reelection, to revive the boundaries of her Staten Island-based U.S. House of Representatives district after a judge blocked the district’s geographical boundaries as racially discriminatory.
Republicans are seeking to retain control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, and the ability of Malliotakis to win reelection could be crucial for her party.
Republicans hold a narrow 218-214 House majority, raising the stakes for every seat in the midterms. Ceding control of either the House or Senate to the Democrats would imperil President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and open the door to Democratic-led congressional investigations targeting him and his administration.
New York state Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman ruled in January that the configuration of the disputed district illegally diluted the power of Latino and Black voters, prompting appeals by Malliotakis and members of the state’s board of elections.
The dispute arose from a lawsuit brought by a group of Staten Island-based voters backed by lawyer Marc Elias, a prominent advocate for Democratic electoral interests.
It was the latest case involving congressional districts that the Supreme Court has acted upon.
Redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a state is a process called redistricting, and there has been an escalating battle as states reconfigure their districts as the parties seek any possible advantage in the midterms.
The Supreme Court on December 4 revived a redrawn Texas electoral map designed to flip as many as five currently Democratic-held U.S. House seats to Republicans in the midterms. Trump had urged Texas Republicans to take the step. The justices on February 4 then allowed California to use a new electoral map designed to give Democrats five more congressional seats in the midterms.
(Reporting by John Kruzel)
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