New York Communities for Change v. Nassau County

In February 2024, the New York Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Steptoe LLP filed a state lawsuit to protect the electoral power of Nassau County’s communities of color.

Though residents of color make up over a third of Nassau County’s eligible voters, the Legislature drew a map that only creates 4 districts out of 19 where Black, Latino, and Asian residents constitute a majority of eligible voters. The NYVRA clearly prohibits racial vote dilution and New York Municipal Home Rule Law establishes strict, rank-ordered requirements for county legislative redistricting, of which the Nassau County Legislature clearly failed to comply.

The ACLU, NYCLU, and their partners represent New York Communities for Change and four individual voters, all of whom reside in impacted districts. This lawsuit is the first legal challenge to a districting scheme brought under a state voting rights act.