With most of New York’s political maps erased by a major court ruling, Gov. Kathy Hochul says she’s not sure how to respond.

What You Need To Know

  • The Court of Appeals struck down state Senate and Congressional district maps drawn by Democrats, throwing the electoral calendar into disarray

  • Gov. Hochul says she has no plan yet on how to respond, even though the June primary is two months away

  • Hochul also declined to take responsibility for the what the court found was a partisan bend to the maps, even though she signed off on them

“There is a lot to still be resolved as this just came down a short time ago,” Hochul said an unrelated event in Yonkers. “And with respect to the process, it was always expected that no matter what the lines looked like they enter the legal process and then there is a timeframe that is involved. And then there is a resolution. And we have that resolution at this time.”

The court found that the new lines for Congress represented a partisan gerrymander to favor Democrats. And it found the state Senate lines unconstitutional, because they were supposed to be drawn by an independent commission. 

Critics says Democrats overplayed their hand by drawing the lines themselves. But Hochul took no responsibility, even though she approved them. 

“The Democrats engaged in a process that has happened in state legislatures all across this country. Sometimes it ends up in litigation, sometimes it’s a different outcome. It’s just part of what happens every decade,” Hochul said.

It also remains unresolved what Hochul will do about former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, who resigned this month over a corruption scandal. Hochul has asked the legislature to pass a law which would take him off the ballot before the June primary.

“We want to do what’s best for voters. Right now, they deserve to have choices. And it’s still being worked out. A lot of conversations ongoing,” Hochul said. 

The governor and legislative leaders have some big decisions to make over the coming days and weeks, including whether to align the state primaries all on one day, and the rules governing the petition process, which starts again from scratch. That includes how many signatures will be needed, and the timeframe for gathering those signatures.