NYC NOW - November 17, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: November 17, 2023

Representative George Santos is facing a third effort to force him out of the House of Representatives. Plus, New York City’s mental health clubhouses will receive extra funding with new rules that could force some clubhouses to shut down. And finally, WNYC’s Sean Carlson and Jon Campbell discuss a lawsuit seeking to overturn New York's current congressional map.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. I'm Jene Pierre. Representative George Santos is facing a third effort to force him out of the House of Representatives, following a report detailing evidence of misused campaign contributions. The chair of the House Ethics Committee is attempting to force a vote on expelling Santos. The move comes a day after his committee detailed evidence that Santos caused his campaign to file false report. The report also accused him of using campaign funds for personal expenses. Earlier this week, a former campaign aide for the representative also pleaded guilty to fraud in federal court.

Santos already says he will not seek re-election after his term expires. New York City's mental health clubhouses will get some extra cash to expand their membership to more people in need. But the funding comes with some new rules that could force some clubhouses to shut down. WNYC's Caroline Lewis has the detail. Mayor Eric Adams is investing $30 million in clubhouses. Centers where New Yorkers with a serious mental illness can form relationships, participate in activities, and get connected to jobs. But clubhouses will also have to meet new requirements. The draft rules exclude smaller clubhouses and those that serve niche populations. The rules also outline a set of preferred zip codes where the centers should be located. Some clubhouse leaders are worried they'll have to shut down. which could disrupt the communities members have come to rely on. Stay close.

There's more after the break. New York's top court could help shape which party takes control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year. It all went down this week in a Buffalo courtroom. The State Court of Appeals heard arguments in a Democrat-backed lawsuit seeking to overturn New York's current congressional map, which was just put into place.

last year. For more, my colleague Sean Carlson talked with WNYC's Albany reporter John Campbell. Can we set up the stakes here? Why are Democrats trying to get a new congressional map in the state? I mean, the short answer is they hate the current map. New York. Okay. New York has 26 congressional districts and how that map is currently set. Eight of them are what we would call competitive districts. That basically means that Biden or Trump won them by single digits in 2020. And last year, Republicans absolutely cleaned up in those districts. They won all four Long Island seats. They won a couple seats in the Hudson Valley.

And statewide, they won 11 seats total. That was three more than they had before. And that played a huge role in the GOP taking control of Congress. So Democrats, they want a new map and one that may be more favorable to their chances next year when every single House seat is on the ballot. Now, New York just put a new map. into place. So do Democrats have a case here? To understand the Democrats' argument, we really kind of have to take a step back. And for the first time last year, New York had this bipartisan panel called the Independent Redistricting Commission that was tasked with drawing their congressional districts. And

it's supposed to happen once a decade after the census. There's new population figures. But that panel deadlocked and just kind of threw up its hands. So the Democrats who control the state legislature, they ended up drawing the map themselves, and no surprise, it skewed toward Democrats. So, Republicans sued, they got that map overturned, and the courts, they appointed their own map maker to draw new one. That was the one that was in place for last election cycle. Now, Democrats, they're not arguing that the current map itself is unconstitutional. Instead, they're making this process argument. They say the Constitution allows this independent redistricting commission to get another crack at drawing this map.

Aria Branch is the Democrat's main attorney. She was pressed on that point by Michael Garcia. He's the lone Republican judge on the Court of Appeals. The goal is for the congressional map to be drawn according to the process. That's a procedural argument, but you're saying that trumps the substantive provision in the Constitution. I'm not saying that trumps the substantive provision in the Constitution, but the procedural requirements are important.

Now, unsurprisingly, Republicans are fighting back against this lawsuit? What are they saying? They're painting this as a power grab by Democrats. They say the Constitution is really stingy when it comes to allowing a redistricting in the middle of a decade. And they say this congressional map the court ordered last year was always meant to remain in place until the next census. Misha Settlin is the Republicans lead attorney. He said voters approved the redistricting process in 2014. What they said is a red light, no way, is that to have a mid-decade redistricting.

There is no provision in the Constitution that complains the legislatures of involvement in mid-decade. The good government organization, known as the League of Women Voters, they filed a brief in this case, too. They're more aligned with Republicans on this. They say the current districts should remain in place. What happens if Democrats are successful here? Is it the end of the road for this round of redistricting? Almost certainly not. If they win, the Independent Redistricting Commission, that bipartisan panel, would be required to send another proposal to the state legislature.

Then it's up to the legislature to accept or reject those maps. And if they're rejected, then the Democrats who control the legislature could draw a map on their own. So if that happens, the whole issue could wind up right back in court yet again. Republicans, they could sue and argue Democrats gerrymandered the lines to their own. benefit. That's prohibited by the state constitution. We should note here too, though, it's not like Republicans haven't been fighting for new district lines in other states. They do the same thing. What's the timeline on this? When can we expect a decision in the New York case? It's not entirely clear at this point, Sean, but both parties are really hoping it's soon.

And that's because the congressional primaries are kind of right around the corner. They're set for April. And candidates, they already have been campaigning, even as these district lines are still up in the air. It's going to be up to the Court of Appeals to deliberate and return their decision. That's a seven judge panel. And of those six of the judges were on the bench when Republicans sued over redistricting just last year. Those six judges, they split three to three, which means really the big wild card here is a judge by the name of Diane Renwick. She's not usually on the court of appeals, but she was called up to sit in on this case because the newest judge, Caitlin Halligan, recused herself. Allegan said she had a close personal or professional relationship to one of the attorneys in the case.

Nobody really knows for sure which way Judge Renwick is leaning. But if you're reading tea leaves, like perhaps I am, she asked a couple slightly skeptical questions of the Republican attorneys early on in the hearing, but she didn't say much for the rest of it. That's WNYC's Albany reporter John Campbell, talking with my colleague, Sean Carlson. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Quick shout out to our production team. It includes Sean Boutich, Ave Carrillo, Audrey Cooper, Leora Noam Kravitz, Jared Marcel, Jen Munson, and Wayne Showmeister,

with help from the entire WNYC Newsroom. Our show art was designed by the folks at Buck, and our music was composed by Alexis Quadrado. I'm Jenae Pierre. Have a great weekend.