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Judge spikes DeSantis's Florida redistricting map that axed minority district as candidate deadline nears (John Kennedy / USA Today) "Florida’s new congressional boundaries drawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis were blocked from being used in this year’s elections Wednesday by a circuit judge who ruled they discriminate against Black voters in North Florida.
"The decision, certain to be appealed by the state, brings a new level of at least temporary chaos to this year’s election season, with candidate qualifying for congressional seats in Florida only a month away.
"And because Democrats have such thin margins for control of Congress, any changes to congressional maps could have outsized influence in this year's midterm elections —and therefore the fate of Biden's agenda for the last two years of his presidency.
"At the heart of the case is the current congressional district 5 held by U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat whose seat stretches from Jacksonville to the Tallahassee area and includes Gadsden County, the state’s only majority Black county.
"The new map, crafted by the Republican governor and approved by the Florida legislature last month, scatters more than 370,000 Black voters who had been in Lawson’s heavily Black, Democratic-leaning district across four North Florida districts.
"None of the districts would have a large Black voting population and all four would be Republican-leaning, part of a push by the governor to expand the number of GOP members of Congress from Florida.
“'I do find persuasive the arguments that were made about the diminishment of African-American votes….to the other districts where they’re now spreading,' said Judge Layne Smith, a DeSantis appointee, who issued his ruling after a three-hour hearing Wednesday.
"John Devaney, who argued the plaintiffs’ case for the Florida League of Women Voters and three minority advocacy organizations, said the DeSantis map left North Florida Black voters without enough voting strength to elect a candidate of their choice.
"He argued the move violated Florida’s voter-approved Fair Districts constitutional amendments, which prohibit drawing legislative or congressional boundaries that for Black and Hispanic voters, 'diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice.'
…
"Jasmine Burney-Clark, founder of Equal Ground, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said Smith's ruling follows an historic pattern.
“'When government overreach tries to suppress Black voters, the courts are our last line of defense to preserve justice and equity,' Burney-Clark said.
"She added, 'No Floridian – including Governor DeSantis – is above the law. This is one step forward in the fight to protect Black voters.'
…
"Ansolabehere’s plan was put forward as a substitute map Smith said he will recommend using in his order, which will probably not be finalized until Thursday or Friday. Smith acknowledged wanting to give DeSantis-appointee Secretary of State Laurel Lee, Florida’s top elections official, adequate time to appeal.
"The Tallahassee-area First District Court of Appeal could either take up the matter, or send the congressional redistricting case to the Florida Supreme Court."
Read more ...
Florida judge says he’ll block DeSantis' congressional redistricting map
Jane Timm / NBC News - May 11
Florida judge blocks DeSantis’ congressional redistricting effort
Gary Fineout / Politico - May 11
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