Cases & Actions
Williams et al. v. Board of Elections for the State of New York
ELC represents Professors Ruth Greenwood and Nicholas Stephanopoulos, who research and litigate using federal and state voting rights acts. The Amicus Brief seeks to provide the court with the most appropriate framework to understand the petitioners’ claim in Williams et al. V. Board of Elections of the State of New York, et al., utilizing federal precedent and its application to the New York Voting Rights Act. Amici write in support of neither side, but to elucidate the law for the court.
STATUS: OPEN
UPDATED: December 17, 2025
UPDATE: Intervenor-Respondents filed an appeal to the New York State Court of Appeals. Amici filed a brief stating that the Supreme Court correctly construed Petitioners’ claim as a crossover coalition claim and set forth the proper standard for review; however the Court improperly failed to apply the standard.
Background
Petitioners challenged New York’s congressional map under New York’s Constitution, which they argue should be construed consistently with the New York Voting Rights Act, in October 2025. Petitioners claim that District 11 diminishes the opportunity for Black and Latino Staten Islanders to elect their preferred candidates.
Defendants claim that the New York Voting Rights Act and its provisions only apply to political subdivisions of the state, not to the state itself, and therefore congressional maps are outside the purview of the statute.
Amici explain the history of federal voting rights claims and lay out the common taxonomies used to assess these claims. They then clarify the differences between “coalition” and “crossover” claims and their appropriate uses in litigation. Finally, Amici set forth a legal standard for crossover claims, like the one Petitioners are making, that is derived from existing case law and scholarship.
DOCUMENTS
Supreme Court of The State of New York, County of New York
December 15, 2025
Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County Decision and Order
January 21, 2026
February 4, 2026