The Florida Supreme Court is set to deliberate on a contentious state congressional map, endorsed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The map, which was implemented following the 2020 census, has been criticized for dismantling a district with a Black majority, according to a filing on Wednesday.
Voting rights organizations have taken their appeal to the state Supreme Court after the First District Court of Appeal in Florida upheld the constitutionality of the redistricting plan last month. This decision contradicted a lower court’s ruling that the new map had unjustly diluted Black voting power.
The appeals court, however, concluded that the plaintiffs had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that the previous version of the 5th Congressional District, which linked Black communities from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, constituted a singular cohesive community deserving protection under Florida’s constitution.
Under the map endorsed by DeSantis in 2022, Republicans control 20 of Florida’s 28 US House seats. The map has been criticized for moving a substantial number of Black voters from the old 5th District near Jacksonville, previously represented by Black Democrat Rep. Al Lawson, into areas represented by White Republicans. Lawson subsequently contested a redrawn Republican-leaning seat based in Tallahassee but lost to GOP Rep. Neal Dunn by a significant margin of 20 points.
The order on Wednesday has given attorneys for voting rights groups until February 28 to submit an initial brief. Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd has been given a 30-day window to file his response.
The Florida Supreme Court, which now leans more conservative than when this issue was last considered, has five of the seven sitting justices appointed by DeSantis. Justice Charles Canady, married to Republican state Rep. Jennifer Canady, has recused himself from the new redistricting case.
A separate federal case arguing that the map violates the US Constitution is still pending. The Florida case is among several ongoing legal disputes over redistricting, the results of which could potentially shift the balance of power in the US House of Representatives after next year’s elections. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the chamber.
Reporting contributed by CNN’s Ethan Cohen and Fredreka Schouten.