Rossito-Canty v. Cuomo

• Decision Date: 16 February 2015
• Docket Number: No. 15–CV–0568.,15–CV–0568.
• Citation: 86 F.Supp.3d 175
• Parties: Rosie ROSSITO–CANTY, Diana Sepulveda, Matthew J. Mari, Erik Pistek, Lawrence Gilder, David Pascarella, Michael Reilly, and for all similarly situated voters of the Eleventh Congressional District in the State of New York, Plaintiffs, v. Andrew M. CUOMO, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of New York, Defendant.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of New York

86 F.Supp.3d 175

Rosie ROSSITO–CANTY, Diana Sepulveda, Matthew J. Mari, Erik Pistek, Lawrence Gilder, David Pascarella, Michael Reilly, and for all similarly situated voters of the Eleventh Congressional District in the State of New York, Plaintiffs
v.
Andrew M. CUOMO, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of New York, Defendant.

No. 15–CV–0568.

United States District Court, E.D. New York.

Signed Feb. 16, 2015.

86 F.Supp.3d 178

Ronald Castorina, Jr., The Law Offices of Ronald Castorina, Jr., Staten Island, NY, for Rosie Rossito–Canty, Diana Sepulveda, Matthew J. Mari, Erik Pistek, Lawrence Gilder, Michael Reilly, and for all similarly situated voters of the Eleventh Congressional District in the State of New York.

John M. Schwartz, Eva Lenore Dietz, Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York, New York, NY, for Andrew M. Cuomo, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of New York.

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

JACK B. WEINSTEIN, Senior District Judge.

Table of Contents

I.	Introduction	179
II.	Losses from an Unfilled Seat in House of Representatives	180

A. Categories of Critical Losses 181

1.	Denial of Participation in Policymaking	181
2.	Loss of Ombudsperson	181
3.	Adverse Effect on National Debates	182

III. Facts 182

A.	Resignation of Representative Grimm	182
B.	Loss of Voting Representation	183
C.	Governor's Response	183
D.	Instant Lawsuit	183
E.	Status of Upcoming Special Election Intended to Fill the Vacant House Seat	184
F.	Map of Eleventh Congressional District	184

IV. The Historical Basis of the Right to Representation 185

A.	Declaration of Independence	185
B.	United States Constitution	185

1.	Original Draft	185
2.	Reconstruction Amendments	186

a.	Fourteenth Amendment	186
b.	Fifteenth Amendment	186

C.	Treatment of the Reconstruction Amendments by the Courts	186
D.	Modern Constitutional Expansion of the Right to Vote	187
E.	Recent Supreme Court Cases Affirm the Right to Vote and the Right to Representation	188
F.	Authority of United States District Court	188

V. The Delicate Relationship Between the Federal Judiciary and Other Branches of Government 189

A.	“Properly Limited” Role of the Federal Court	189
B.	Proper Instances of Court Interference in Democratic Process	189

VI. Right of Constituents in Congressional Districts to Have Vacant Congressional Seats Filled 190

A.	Table of State Laws Calling on Special Elections When Elected Offices Left Vacant	190
B.	Pertinent Case Law	193

1.	Valenti v. Rockefeller (U.S.1969)	193
2.	Jackson v. Ogilvie (7th Cir.1970)	193
3.	Rodriguez v. Popular Democratic Party (U.S.1982)	193
4.	Mason v. Casey (E.D.Pa.1991)	194
5.	American Civil Liberties Union v. Taft (6th Cir.2004)	194
6.

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