New York Senate obtains preclearance from Department of Justice for redistricting plan

Client(s) Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment

Jones Day successfully represented New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos in preclearance proceedings before the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, a covered jurisdiction may not implement a redistricting plan unless it is precleared by the Justice Department or District Court. In March 2012, Jones Day submitted New York’s Senate redistricting plan to the Justice Department for administrative preclearance and simultaneously filed a declaratory judgment action in the District Court. Six weeks later, the Justice Department announced that it had precleared the Senate plan. Because the plan had been administratively precleared, the parties voluntarily dismissed the court proceeding.

New York v. United States, No. 1:12-cv-00413 (D.D.C.)