Nick Reisman is reporting at State of Politics a judge in Steuben County April 18, appointed a special master to draw new congressional district boundaries as the legal challenge to the legislative maps drawn by the state Legislature continues to make its way through the courts. Judge Patrick McCalluster named Jonathan Cervas of the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University to draw the new lines. The same judge last month ruled the maps should be redrawn after ruling they violated the state's constitutional amendment against partisan gerrymandering. Ryan Whalen is reporting former U.S. Rep. John Faso, a Republican, said the appointment was a good sign. "I looked at his bio, his resume, and he appears to have the requisite experience and knowledge to be able to undertake this task so again, we're really encouraged by this," Faso said. Michael Li, a redistricting expert for the nonpartisan organization Brennan Center for Justice, also believes Cervas looks like a good choice. "He is, I think, very qualified and well-positioned to do this, assuming that he gets cooperation from the parties and he gets access to all the data and the like," Li said. Democrats have argued the lines were drawn fairly and will be upheld. Both sides have indicated the matter will likely go to the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, regardless of the outcome of the appellate division arguments this week. Read more at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.