A New York state Supreme Court judge dismissed voting rights lawsuits filed against the Town of Mount Pleasant and Town of Newburgh.

The judge was only presiding over the Newburgh lawsuit, but she dismissed both lawsuits in her ruling.

Both lawsuits alleged that the towns' election systems violated the State Voting Rights Act due to a lack of minority representation on their boards. However, the judge found the State Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.

The attorney who brought the lawsuits remains confident that they will win on appeal.

The judge presiding over the Mount Pleasant lawsuit has scheduled a hearing for later this month, despite not having issued a ruling yet.

Pace University Law professor Ben Gershman analyzed what this means for voting rights across the state and the nation.

Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins announced his decision to run for the county's top job now that George Latimer is heading to Washington to serve in Congress.

It's a powerful position that Jenkins has sought out twice before - first in 2013 and then again in 2017, when he lost the Democratic primary to George Latimer.

Latimer would bring on Jenkins to serve as his top deputy, fighting together for more affordable housing and local tax relief.

The Yonkers Democrat and former county board chairman also saw his political clout skyrocket last year, chairing the state Independent Redistricting Commission and redrawing the maps that brought a yearslong legal and political drama to a close.

Jenkins has a complicated "path to power" once Latimer leaves for the Capitol in January. The county Legislature will name an interim county executive, likely Jenkins, and schedule a special election within 90 days. During that time, each political party will get to name their own nominees to fill out the remainder of Latimer's term.

Then there is the possibility of a June primary ahead of the November election against a yet-to-be-named Republican opponent, making it three campaigns, potentially in less than a year.

If Jenkins comes out on top when all the political dust settles, he will make history as Westchester's first Black county executive - something that weighs heavy for the former Yonkers NAACP president.

News 12's Senior Reporter Tara Rosenblum sat down with Jenkins ahead of his official announcement as he discussed his campaign, the possibility of running three campaigns in less than a year and what leading the county would mean for him.

Former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones lost his bid to return to Washington, D.C. when he lost the general election race for New York's 17th Congressional District to Republican Rep. Mike Lawler last week.

Jones did not make any public appearances that night and only released a concession speech the following day. But earlier this week, Jones spoke on CNN - his first public comments since the loss. He weighed in on how immigration and the top of the ticket affected his race and provided insight on the people President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to his cabinet so far.