On Wednesday, an appellate court struck down New York City’s controversial law allowing illegal aliens and other non-citizens to vote in the city’s elections.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the appellate court ruled by a margin of 3-1 that the law, which applied only to local and municipal elections within the city, was unconstitutional. Appellate Judge Paul Wooten, writing the opinion of the majority, declared that “we determine that this local law was enacted in violation of the New York State Constitution and Municipal Home Rule Law, and thus, must be declared null and void.”
The law was first enacted in 2021 by the New York City Council and signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.). It would have granted the right to vote to the over 800,000 illegals living in the Big Apple, including green card holders and other immigrants with work visas, but no citizenship. In 2022, a lower court sided with Republicans who sued over the law; the appellate court’s ruling came after Adams appealed the previous ruling.
In response to the ruling, Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the left-wing New York Immigration Coalition, issued a statement declaring the decision to be “another shameful attempt by xenophobic Republicans who would disenfranchise residents rather than promote a more inclusive and participatory democracy.” Awawdeh went on to say that “immigrant New Yorkers deserve a say in how their local government functions and spends their tax money.”
One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit was Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-N.Y.), who issued his own statement saying that “during a time where nearly 200,000 migrants have flooded our city and streets, disrupting the public and attacking our police officers, my colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to protect our voting laws which were created for citizens of the United States. Democracy always wins and I am proud to say it was delivered yet again today.”
New York City is one of several major cities in the United States which, as part of its “sanctuary city” status for illegals, has given illegals the right to vote. Others include San Francisco and Washington D.C., the latter of which passed its law back in October.