For the next two weeks, one of the most powerful people in politics is a professor whose professional life has been devoted to studying demographics, political behavior, and mapping.
Jonathan Cervas has until May 20 to redraw New York’s congressional and state Senate district lines, translating complex data into maps that will pass constitutional muster and stand for a decade. The stakes are high, and for a little added pressure, this is the first time he’s in charge as the court-appointed special master rather than working as an assistant or consultant.
His choices will steer the Supreme Court in Steuben County as it decides how easy it will be for Republicans to win congressional races in New York, and therefore how likely it will be for the GOP to take control of the U.S. House. The majority party will flip if there’s a net change of five seats out of 435.