Florida’s new Republican-backed map is allowed to plow forward for now, after a state-level judge did not stop the map from going into effect as it faces an ongoing legal fight, according to The Hill.
The map, which was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) this spring, will potentially give Republicans four more seats in Congress in the Sunshine State.
“The election machinery of the state is already underway,” Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes wrote in his Tuesday order. Hawkes was appointed by DeSantis in 2020.
“The primary is less than three months away, and the general less than six months. The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps,” he added.
However, liberal groups like the League of Women Voters of Florida and the Southern Poverty Law Center are vowing to appeal, and they are determined to let the Florida Supreme Court have the final say.
"While we are disappointed by today’s decision, this case is far from over," Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice for the League of Women Voters, said in a statement.
"Floridians voted overwhelmingly to reject partisan gerrymandering, and we will not allow politicians to undermine those protections for political gain. As attacks on fair representation intensify nationwide, the League of Women Voters will continue leading the fight for maps that respect voters’ voices and constitutional rights,” Johnson continued.
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Mid-decade redistricting battles have unfolded all across the United States as both parties compete for control of the House of Representatives in November. The fight escalated further following the United States Supreme Court ruling against majority-minority districts, which opened the door for more map changes in the South.
In Virginia, the Democrat-backed 10-1 map was ultimately shot down by the state’s Supreme Court. However, other states have seen success with their efforts, with a Democrat-backed map in California and a Republican-backed map in Texas having been allowed to move forward.
In Tennessee, the post-Supreme Court ruling move to eliminate the state’s singular Democrat-favored seat also had a victory on Tuesday, as a judicial panel shot down an NAACP lawsuit against the new map, The Tennessean reported.
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