New York Judge Strikes Down State’s Voting Rights Act
On Thursday, a New York trial court judge struck down the state’s 2022 Voting Rights Act (NYVRA), which was created to make up for deficiencies in federal law following Congress’s 2021 failure to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Orange County Judge Maria Vazquez-Doles ruled that the NYVRA violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Citing the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined race-based affirmative action in college admissions was unconstitutional, Vazquez-Doles wrote that the NYVRA similarly “provides enhanced rights” to protected classes, in violation of the Constitution. Additionally, the judge ruled the law didn’t serve any compelling state interest when allowing multiple protected classes to band together to prove vote dilution.
The U.S. Supreme Court requires “that the Equal Protection Clause prohibits discrimination against all people, not just those classes who have experienced historic discrimination or who experienced such morally repugnant treatment to a degree greater than other people,” the order read.
The decision stems from a case in which six Black and Hispanic voters challenged the Town of Newburgh’s method for electing town board members, which they claimed violated the NYVRA. The plaintiffs argued that the town’s at-large electoral method for its five town board members unfairly dilutes the voting power of Black and Hispanic residents who typically favor different candidates than the white majority.
The NYVRA was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in June 2022. It aimed to strengthen voting rights, particularly for minority voters, by prohibiting vote dilution and voter suppression, among other practices. Under this law, local municipalities could not use electoral methods that weakened the ability of racial minority groups from electing the candidate of their choice or influencing the election.
The plaintiffs argued that despite Black and Hispanic voters making up approximately 40% of the population, only white board members have ever been elected. In January, they sent a letter to the Newburgh town board notifying them of their potential NYVRA violation. The law required the town to propose a solution to the NYVRA violation within 50 days and start implementing the solution within 90 days. When Newburgh failed to propose a plan to replace the at-large system, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit asking the court to block the current electoral method and create a new one in time for the 2025 election.
In Thursday’s ruling, Vazquez-Doles said the NYVRA was too broad in scope and reached beyond what U.S. Supreme Court precedent allows when considering vote dilution cases. She dismissed the case, allowing Newburgh’s at-large system to continue.