Florida judge strikes down DeSantis-backed voting map as unconstitutional

This blog originally appeared at The Guardian.

Circuit court judge rules proposal ‘results in the diminishment of Black voters’ ability to elect their candidate of choice’

A judge in Florida has delivered a verdict in favor of voting rights groups that had filed a lawsuit against a congressional redistricting map endorsed by Ron DeSantis in 2022. The map had faced criticism from voting rights advocates for undermining political influence in Black communities.

In the ruling, Leon County Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh has ordered the map to be returned to the Florida legislature for a redraw that aligns with the state’s constitution.

In his ruling, Marsh stated, “Under the stipulated facts (in the lawsuit), plaintiffs have shown that the enacted plan results in the diminishment of Black voters’ ability to elect their candidate of choice in violation of the Florida constitution.”

The recent ruling is expected to be appealed by the state of Florida, which could ultimately bring the case before the Florida Supreme Court.

The lawsuit specifically centered on a congressional district in north Florida that was previously represented by Democrat Al Lawson, who is Black. Lawson’s district was redrawn into districts represented by white Republicans.

In 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a map that initially preserved Lawson’s district and submitted his own map, calling for a special legislative session to enforce its acceptance. Judge Marsh rejected arguments from Florida Republicans who claimed that the state’s provision against weakening or eliminating minority-dominant districts violated the U.S. Constitution.

Olivia Mendoza, the director of litigation and policy for the National Redistricting Foundation, an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, hailed the ruling as a significant victory for fair representation for Black Floridians. She emphasized the need to replace the current discriminatory map with one that restores the fifth congressional district in a way that empowers Black voters to elect their preferred candidate.

In 2022, the Florida Legislative Black Caucus labeled the congressional map approved by DeSantis as voter suppression. The map resulted in Florida Republicans gaining four congressional seats, increasing their representation from 16 to 20 out of 28 seats and securing a narrow majority in the House in 2022.

Before the court decision, the state of Florida and the voting rights groups involved in the lawsuit had reached an agreement that narrowed the focus of the lawsuit to Lawson’s congressional seat. However, a separate lawsuit over the state’s congressional maps is still pending in federal court.

This court decision adds to a series of rulings in the South against Republican-drawn congressional maps due to concerns that redistricting had diminished Black voting power. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Republican-drawn map in Alabama and later lifted a hold on a case involving redistricting in Louisiana, returning the case to a lower court. This increases the likelihood that Louisiana will be required to create a second congressional district that empowers Black voters.