ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly, in November of 2024 voters will choose new congressional representatives. However the state congressional districts may change before that election, as the legal debate around district maps continues.
Jeff Wice, an adjunct professor & senior fellow at NY Law School explained the legal process around New York's congressional district maps has been going on for a long time. The latest development came in Buffalo when New York's highest court heard arguments over whether last year's maps could be used again. Wice explained there is not much time to make new maps before the spring primary election.
"Petitioning should get underway on or about February 28 or March 1. That means if the court does order the commission and the legislature to get back to work on a congressional map, then that map needs to be in place by early February" Said Wice.
Also this week, Jaime Ciffone, the Executive Vice President for the New York State United Teachers Union gave reactions to recent recommendations from the State Education Department. She explained that the recommendations, if adopted would change the requirements to earning a high school diploma, and would not require a regents exam.
"Students and people, in general, are so much more than just one number of measurement, right? And so this is a really exciting time because we're looking at individuals as more of a whole and not just the way they perform on one high-stakes assessment" Said Ciffone.
To see these interviews and more, here is a list of how you can watch Empire State Weekly in your area of New York: