A Florida judge has discarded a congressional map passed by the Republican legislature and demanded by Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying it violated U.S. law by attracting black voters from the North Florida area.
District Judge Lane Smith ruled Wednesday that the map violates the state’s constitutional reassignment amendments because it “reduces the ability of African Americans to choose candidates of their choice” in the 5th District of Florida.
He called on the state to adopt a map that restores the former shape of the area, which will stretch from Jacksonville to Tallahassee and have almost a majority of blacks voting by age.
The original version of the map reduced Florida’s 5th district to nearly a third of its original size, while scattering about 370,000 black voters among four other counties, according to evidence presented to the court by map contenders and voting groups. .
“The minority vote is low enough that you would expect it to be significantly more difficult for minorities to choose the candidate of their choice,” Smith said.
Smith added that there will be a written order signed by Friday so that state defendants can appeal. They will be able to appeal the decision to the state’s 1st District Court of Appeals, although Smith said the court could then send it to the Florida Supreme Court.
Mohammad Omar Jazil, a lawyer for the Florida secretary of state, noted that the suspension of Smith’s decision will automatically be triggered if the defendants file a complaint.
“I fully expect the appellate court to receive this and act as soon as possible,” Smith said.
Democratic Congressman Al Lawson, who represents Florida’s 5th district, said he was pleased with Smith’s decision and said “it is crucial to keep Congressional District 5 so that minority voters have a voice in the ballot box.” in November”.
“DeSantis is wrong to introduce this Republican map, which is a clear violation of US and state constitutions,” he said. “I am optimistic that future courts will also do what is right.”
As the original map moved through the legislature, DeSantis and his allies cited compactness issues as they called for a drastic change in the 5th district of Florida. They also claim that the county violates the US Constitution because it determines voters “primarily on the basis of race.”
“Race and political party data have nothing to do with my drawing of any of the areas on the map,” said Alex Kelly, DeSantis’s deputy chief of staff, during a presentation of their map to a Florida Senate committee in April
Smith declined to say whether Florida’s 5th District violates federal voting rights law, saying it is a decision another court must make.
The DeSantis card also favored his party and could give the party a net profit of four seats in Florida alone. All seven members of the Florida Supreme Court have been appointed by Republican governors.
By – elections in 2022
More More Aaron Navarro
Aaron Navarro is an associate producer of the political unit at CBS News, focusing on campaigns by the House and governors, as well as counting and redirecting the area.
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