Democrats are trying to destroy everything. The party of destruction.
ALBANY, New York — New York’s top court has struck down a law that would have let noncitizens vote in New York City elections, with the court’s progressive majority overwhelmingly siding with Republicans who challenged the idea.
The law would have made more than 800,000 people eligible to vote in municipal contests such as mayoral races.
“We file some lawsuits that are stretches,” said Joe Borelli, the former Republican minority leader of the New York City Council and one of the plaintiffs who challenged the law. “This one was, from the beginning, an open-shut case.”
The law was approved in the waning days of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. When neither he nor successor Eric Adams issued a veto, it automatically became law in early 2022.
The legal battles since then have centered on language in the state constitution that says “every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election for all officers elected by the people.”
Republicans argued that this prohibits all noncitizens from casting ballots. Democrats on the City Council who defended the law said this language should be viewed as a floor rather than a ceiling, and that local governments have the power to expand the franchise further if they wish.
In a decision handed down by the Court of Appeals on Thursday, the judges brushed off the Democratic argument by a 6-1 margin.
“Under that interpretation, municipalities are free to enact legislation that would enable anyone to vote – including … thirteen-year-old children,” Chief Judge Rowan Wilson wrote for the majority.
“It is plain from the language and restrictions contained in [the state constitution] that ‘citizen’ is not meant as a floor, but as a condition of voter eligibility: the franchise extends only to citizens whose right to vote is established by proper proofs,” Wilson wrote.
The Republican victory in this case was similar to ones they’ve won in two lower courts in recent years.
“As the court had held from the very beginning, the law is clear that voting is a sacred right that is for United States citizens,” said Assemblymember Michael Tannousis, a Staten Island Republican and another plaintiff in the case. “As the son of immigrants that came to New York for the American dream and worked hard to become naturalized citizens, I am content with today’s ruling.”
ALBANY, New York — New York’s top court has struck down a law that would have let noncitizens vote in New York City elections, with the court’s progressive majority overwhelmingly siding with Republicans who challenged the idea.
The law would have made more than 800,000 people eligible to vote in municipal contests such as mayoral races.
“We file some lawsuits that are stretches,” said Joe Borelli, the former Republican minority leader of the New York City Council and one of the plaintiffs who challenged the law. “This one was, from the beginning, an open-shut case.”
The law was approved in the waning days of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. When neither he nor successor Eric Adams issued a veto, it automatically became law in early 2022.
The legal battles since then have centered on language in the state constitution that says “every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election for all officers elected by the people.”
Republicans argued that this prohibits all noncitizens from casting ballots. Democrats on the City Council who defended the law said this language should be viewed as a floor rather than a ceiling, and that local governments have the power to expand the franchise further if they wish.
In a decision handed down by the Court of Appeals on Thursday, the judges brushed off the Democratic argument by a 6-1 margin.
“Under that interpretation, municipalities are free to enact legislation that would enable anyone to vote – including … thirteen-year-old children,” Chief Judge Rowan Wilson wrote for the majority.
“It is plain from the language and restrictions contained in [the state constitution] that ‘citizen’ is not meant as a floor, but as a condition of voter eligibility: the franchise extends only to citizens whose right to vote is established by proper proofs,” Wilson wrote.
The Republican victory in this case was similar to ones they’ve won in two lower courts in recent years.
“As the court had held from the very beginning, the law is clear that voting is a sacred right that is for United States citizens,” said Assemblymember Michael Tannousis, a Staten Island Republican and another plaintiff in the case. “As the son of immigrants that came to New York for the American dream and worked hard to become naturalized citizens, I am content with today’s ruling.”
