The Department of Justice today gave what is known as “preclearance” under the Voting Rights Act to New York’s reapportionment plan, with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s office writing that it had “no objection” to the Republican-drawn Senate plan.

The news is sure to hearten Senate Republicans, who feel the pending legal hurdles on redistricting that remain will also be cleared.

The ruling is significant, too, in that it is the first time a Democratic administration has waded in on the Voting Rights Act’s role in (New York) redistricting since the law’s passage in 1965.

The letter sent today to Senate Republican lawyer Michael Carvin notes that while the DOJ is signing off on the plan, that does not bar future lawsuits.

Senate Democrats are hopeful that the newly drawn sixty-third district in the Capital Region will be tossed out by the state Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

And a suit is still pending in federal court over the redistricting process itself.

State lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed off on a redistricting plan for 213 seats in the Assembly and Senate with the deal that the next round of redistricting would be overseen by an independent board.

dojpreclearance

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