Group asks judge to oversee NY redistricting

NEW YORK — A group of civic leaders has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to take over the process of redrawing the boundaries of New York's congressional districts. The plaintiffs say Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers now working on a redistricting plan are engaged in "an exercise in partisan self-dealing and incumbent protection." They say dysfunction in the process could jeopardize elections in 2012. The suit was filed Nov. 19 in Brooklyn. The governor and legislature have been squabbling over the best method for redrawing the state's political maps, which have to be adjusted as New York loses seats in Congress. A lawyer for the community leaders who filed the suit tells The New York Times that they believe the plan ultimately produced in Albany will be flawed and partisan.