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A
state judge in September ruled that the map redrawn in 2020
illegally shredded the 5th Congressional District, which had
been a strongly Black district in north Florida.
The new map resulted in the incumbent, Al Lawson, a Black
Democrat, losing re-election last year by nearly 20 percentage
points to Representative Neal Dunn, a white Republican, which
helped the Republicans take back control of the House of
Representatives.
But Florida's First District Court of Appeals said in its ruling
that the lower court's decision to order the Florida legislature
to redraw the map was based on a misinterpretation of the state
constitution. It said that the previous map for the 5th District
had connected largely Black communities between Tallahassee and
Jacksonville that were not cohesive.
The lower court ruling stated that the map "results in the
diminishment of Black voters' ability to elect their candidate
of choice in violation of the Florida Constitution."
But the appeals court said in its ruling that the lower court
ruling "fails because it converts a race-based prohibition into
a race-based requirement."
It added: "Treating citizens as individuals without regard for
race is the only way to ensure full and equal participation in
the political process."
A lawsuit against the redrawn Congressional map is still pending
in federal court.
The litigation is among several redistricting cases across the
U.S. that could help determine which party takes control of the
House in next year's congressional elections.
Following the expulsion of Republican George Santos from the
House on Friday, the Republican's majority was reduced to
221-213.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Editing by
Leslie Adler)
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