New York’s highest court has decisively rejected a controversial New York City law allowing migrants living in the US illegally to vote in local elections, dealing a major blow to progressive activists in the Big Apple.
The Court of Appeals, the state’s top judicial body, struck down the measure in a clear 6-1 ruling Thursday, – as the court’s progressive majority sided overwhelmingly with Republicans who argued the law violated New York’s state constitution, Politico reports.
The now-defunct law, pushed through at the end of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure and passively approved by his successor Mayor Eric Adams, would have allowed over 800,000 migrants living in the US illegally to vote in municipal elections—including critical contests like mayoral races.
Republicans, who challenged the law, pointed to clear language in the state constitution stating that “every citizen shall be entitled to vote,” arguing this explicitly excludes noncitizens from casting ballots. Democrats on the City Council claimed the wording represented only a minimum standard and argued local governments had the power to expand voting rights beyond citizens.
But Chief Judge Rowan Wilson didn’t buy it. Writing for the court’s majority, Wilson shredded the Democratic interpretation, highlighting the potential absurdity of their position.