Federal court upholds DeSantis-backed congressional map
Source: Politico
03/27/2024 06:53 PM EDT
Updated: 03/27/2024 07:58 PM EDT
A panel of federal judges upheld Floridas congressional map, turning away a challenge that alleged it was discriminatory against Black voters after the district held by former Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, was dismantled.
The decision is a substantial victory for Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who muscled the map through Floridas GOP-controlled Legislature. The congressional map his administration crafted ultimately resulted in Republicans gaining four seats, helping the GOP flip the U.S. House during the 2022 midterm elections.
The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that those who challenged the map did not prove that Republican legislators discriminated against Black voters by adopting the map that was shaped by the DeSantis administration. Instead, the judges pointed out lawmakers initially resisted the governors plan only to then run out of steam and bow to the governors wishes.
Consequently, whatever might be said about the Legislatures decision to give up the fight for preserving a Black-performing district in North Florida, it did not amount to ratification of racial animus in violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, the opinion read.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/27/florida-redistricting-house-desantis-00149448
moniss
(4,254 posts)Oh Wise Ones on the judicial panel it had to be something else rather than a racial motivation. Because after all I'm sure they can point to all kinds of white and Cuban districts that were dismantled.
ananda
(28,866 posts)Our courts are so broken.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)So we lost our Black US Representative, lumped BLUE Leon, Gadsden, and Jefferson Counties with the blood red Panhandle counties, and gave us Neal Dunn who is a terrible representative (and who sells his contact list to GOP fund raisers)?
This SUCKS - I say this as someone who has been directly affected by DeSantis' gerrymandering.
The previous map was gerrymandered in an effort to split the Leon-Gadsden-Jefferson Counties black votes. District 2 meandered from the middle of Tallahassee through red North Florida counties all the way to Jacksonville. Even so, Al Lawson managed to be elected twice. He was not the best Democrat, but he was a solid Democrat. But he offended DeSantis, so he had to go.
DeSantis made no secret that his map was tailored to get Lawson out. That in itself should have been enough to disqualify that map.
Dunn toes the GQP line. When I didn't like his first vote while he was in office, I contacted his office to let him know. Immediately, I began getting calls and emails from GOP fundraisers. The only way I got off their lists was to thank them for reminding me to donate MORE to Democratic candidates and PACs. Therefore, I will NOT contact my gerrymandered US Representative no matter what stupid ass thing he votes in favor of - I just don't have the energy to go through the GOP dunning (pun intended) again.