New U.S. House districts that could help Republicans win several additional seats in Florida are set to face their first test in court Friday against assertions that they violate the state’s constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering.
Lawsuits filed on behalf of voters ask a state judge to block the use of districts in midterm elections. The move would create a major wrinkle in President Donald Trump’s attempt to hold on to a narrow majority in the House of Representatives by redrawing voting districts to favor the Republican Party.
Republicans already hold 20 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats. New voting areas Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signing it into law after a quick two-day special legislative session could improve the GOP’s chances of winning an additional four seats in the November election.
The Florida Legislature approved the new House map on April 29 — the same day the U.S. Supreme Court weakened Federal Voting Rights Act Protecting minorities while hitting a majority-black congressional district in Louisiana. Since then several Southern states It took steps to try to eliminate minority areas that elected Democrats.
Congressional districts are typically redrawn once a decade, after each census, to rebalance the population. But since Trump pushed mid-decade redistricting last year, Republicans believe they could pick up as many as 15 seats from the new House maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. Meanwhile, Democrats believe they can pick up six seats from the new maps in California and Utah.
Democrats were counting on winning up to four additional seats in Virginia. but Supreme Court of Virginia Last week, Democrats shot down the voter-approved redistricting plan, ruling that the Legislature violated procedural requirements when putting it on the ballot.
US Supreme Court She ruled in 2019 And he has no authority to decide whether partisan gerrymandering goes any further. But he said Partisan manipulation Cases may continue to be decided in state courts under their constitutions and laws.
Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment in 2010 that prohibits the drawing of U.S. House districts with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent. The amendment prohibits provinces from reducing the ability of ethnic or linguistic minorities to elect representatives of their choice. It also requires that the provinces be cohesive and, where possible, use existing political and geographical boundaries.
The lawsuits filed on behalf of voters seek a temporary injunction against the new U.S. House map for violating this amendment. The suits focus heavily on political patronage.
“The plan takes partisanship in the state to an unprecedented level,” said one of the three lawsuits filed in Leon County.
The legal brief filed on behalf of the Florida Senate argues that partisan intent has not been proven and that a temporary injunction against the new districts is not appropriate before a fully developed trial.
Although DeSantis called lawmakers into session ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Louisiana case, he predicted an end result that weakens Voting Rights Act protections for minority areas. Among other changes, the new Florida map reconfigures A Southeast Florida area Which DeSantis’ office said was created to help elect a Black representative in an effort to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.
DeSantis’ office said no racial data was used to prepare the new map he submitted to the Legislature. In a memo to lawmakers, DeSantis’ general counsel, David Axelman, asserted that Florida’s constitutional provision on racial redistricting violates the U.S. Constitution. If one element is invalid, Axelman wrote, the entire 2010 amendment would be invalid, including the provisions prohibiting partisan gerrymandering.
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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri, and Schneider from Orlando, Florida.