In a significant ruling on Thursday, US District Judge Steve Jones upheld the congressional map drawn by Georgia’s Republican party, thereby ensuring the party’s continued dominance in the state. The judge stated that the General Assembly had complied with the court’s order to create a Black-majority district in areas where vote dilution was identified.
“The Court overrules Plaintiffs’ objections,” Judge Jones said in his ruling, “The General Assembly fully complied with this Court’s order requiring the creation of Black-majority district in the regions of the State where vote dilution was found.”
Previously in October, Judge Jones had directed the Georgia General Assembly to redraw both congressional and state legislative maps following the 2020 census. The order was issued on the grounds that state legislators had improperly diluted the political power of Black voters.
In response to the court’s order, the Republican-controlled legislature approved a newly drawn congressional map during a special session. The new map not only established an additional Black-majority district as per Jones’ order but also maintained the GOP’s 9-5 advantage in the US House delegation. The map strategically shifts Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath’s Atlanta-area district further into Republican territory.
The revised map retains nine majority-White districts, which, given the state’s voting patterns, are likely to preserve the current number of Republican seats.
Critics of the map, however, argued that the “vote dilution area” remained “virtually untouched,” according to objections raised by the plaintiffs in the order. The court, however, dismissed the “foundational assumption of Plaintiffs’ arguments,” stating that “federal judges have no license to reallocate political power between the two major political parties, given the lack of constitutional authority and the absence of legal standards to direct such actions,” as per Thursday’s order.
The redistricting moves in Georgia and several other states are being closely watched by politicians in Washington, as these maps could potentially determine which party will control the US House of Representatives after next year’s elections. Currently, Republicans hold a narrow majority in the chamber.
Contributions to this report were made by CNN’s Fredreka Schouten.