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Florida judge skeptical of arguments to keep DeSantis' congressional map
Florida judge skeptical of arguments to keep DeSantis' congressional mapThe fate of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ controversial congressional map is now with a circuit judge who, on Thursday, repeatedly pressed attorneys representing the state’s top elections official and the Republican-controlled Legislature on the map’s validity.
The roughly four-hour hearing, stemming from a legal challenge to the redrawn districts, centered on the map pushed by the governor that dismantled a roughly 200-mile seat that connected minority voters in Tallahassee and Jacksonville and had been held by former Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat who lost last year after his seat was redrawn. Florida Republicans ultimately picked up four seats under the governor’s map for a total of 20 out of 28, a move that helped the GOP capture the U.S. House last year.
Lawyers for the Legislature and the DeSantis administration contended they replaced Lawson’s seat with a “race neutral” one and that to revert back to the way the seat was once drawn would violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause — a conclusion that has been undercut by the Supreme Court’s recent decision on an Alabama redistricting case.
“The Legislature made the right judgment, and the court should validate that judgment,” said Andy Bardos, an attorney representing the Florida House.
The roughly four-hour hearing, stemming from a legal challenge to the redrawn districts, centered on the map pushed by the governor that dismantled a roughly 200-mile seat that connected minority voters in Tallahassee and Jacksonville and had been held by former Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat who lost last year after his seat was redrawn. Florida Republicans ultimately picked up four seats under the governor’s map for a total of 20 out of 28, a move that helped the GOP capture the U.S. House last year.
Lawyers for the Legislature and the DeSantis administration contended they replaced Lawson’s seat with a “race neutral” one and that to revert back to the way the seat was once drawn would violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause — a conclusion that has been undercut by the Supreme Court’s recent decision on an Alabama redistricting case.
“The Legislature made the right judgment, and the court should validate that judgment,” said Andy Bardos, an attorney representing the Florida House.
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