A legal challenge by the League of Women Voters to consolidate New York's primary elections in August was rejected by the state Court of Appeals on Tuesday, likely exhausting the legal avenues in state court to make the change. 

The ruling means register party voters in New York will be casting ballots in two different dates to determine nominees for election office: Statewide and state Assembly races will be held on June 28; state Senate and U.S. House primaries will be held on Aug. 23. 

The Court of Appeals did not give a reason for denying an appeal by the group after its challenge was rejected by a lower court. 

New York's party primary elections were split in May as a consequence of the top court in New York determining the district lines drawn for the U.S. House and state Senate seats were unconstitutional. New lines were drawn for both chambers by a court-appointed special master, and the changes required a re-ordering of the political calendar. 

As a result, the primaries for the U.S. House and state Senate were pushed back by eight weeks to given candidates more time to petition for the ballot and campaign. 

The League of Women Voters had argued the two primaries would be costly for taxpayers and local elections officials. But state elections officials in New York had argued the legal challenge came too late, and the ballots already printed for the two primary dates.