Suffolk County, Long Island judge blocks Democrat redistricting proposal again

A judge in Suffolk County, Long Island, has blocked for a third time a Democrat proposal to redraw the county’s district lines.

A last-minute meeting called Monday morning by the Democratic legislators pushing for the bill was cut short after a court ruling blocked their proposal. The legislators hope to push the proposal through before the end of their term on January 1, when Republicans take over.

The proposal has not been killed, however. The Democrats may try again to bring their proposal to a vote, but only if they are able to get a bipartisan commission to approve the plan prior to a vote.

The judge who blocked the proposal on Monday cited a procedural rule that states the commission must approve a proposal before it can be brought up for a vote.

According to WSHU, “The charter requires a bipartisan commission of legislators to propose new districts and hold public hearings. Bipartisan legislative leaders missed their November deadline, so Democrats proceeded without them.”

The redistricting plan would move Flanders, Riverside and Northampton from Legislative District 2 to Legislative District 1.