Magnus
Diamond Member
- Jun 22, 2020
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A judge in Florida ruled in favor of civil rights groups on Saturday, throwing out a congressional district map that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis had backed and deeming it unconstitutional.
The ruling, which is likely to be appealed, delivered another redistricting win for Democrats in the Southeast after a series of cases in the region have given the party more opportunities to flip Republican-controlled House seats ahead of what will be a contentious fight for control of the legislative chamber next year.
The Florida case hinged on claims that Florida lawmakers violated a provision of the state constitution protecting minority-access districts in 2022 when they diluted the Black vote in one Northern Florida district by dividing it into four different districts.
“It's a little bit weird for a state to be challenging its own constitution in state court,” Michael Li, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, previously told The Messenger. The constitutional amendments in question were passed by voters more than a decade ago, Li noted, as part of an effort to prevent lawmakers from drawing gerrymandered congressional maps.
Circuit Judge Lee Marsh said in his ruling that the state did not prove their case and ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.
themessenger.com
Before the usual chorus chimes in that the Judge is a Liberal... just know that he was appointed to the bench by Republican Governor Rick Scott. Poor DeSantis. What with his campaign cratering and losing in the polls to a 4 times-indicted perp and now this... Sad.
The ruling, which is likely to be appealed, delivered another redistricting win for Democrats in the Southeast after a series of cases in the region have given the party more opportunities to flip Republican-controlled House seats ahead of what will be a contentious fight for control of the legislative chamber next year.
The Florida case hinged on claims that Florida lawmakers violated a provision of the state constitution protecting minority-access districts in 2022 when they diluted the Black vote in one Northern Florida district by dividing it into four different districts.
“It's a little bit weird for a state to be challenging its own constitution in state court,” Michael Li, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, previously told The Messenger. The constitutional amendments in question were passed by voters more than a decade ago, Li noted, as part of an effort to prevent lawmakers from drawing gerrymandered congressional maps.
Circuit Judge Lee Marsh said in his ruling that the state did not prove their case and ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.
Florida Judge Throws Out DeSantis-Backed Congressional Map, Rules in Favor of Civil Rights Groups
The ruling, which will likely be appealed, is the latest legal victory for Democrats challenging redistricting in deep red states
themessenger.com
Before the usual chorus chimes in that the Judge is a Liberal... just know that he was appointed to the bench by Republican Governor Rick Scott. Poor DeSantis. What with his campaign cratering and losing in the polls to a 4 times-indicted perp and now this... Sad.
