September 3rd 2023.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has recently faced a major setback in his redistricting plan. As reported by NBC News, Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh declared the plan unconstitutional and sent it back to the Florida State Legislature with instructions to meet the requirements established by the Florida Constitution.
Marsh ruled that the map hampered the ability of the state's Black citizens to choose a state representative that aligned with their political interests. In his written decision, Marsh stated that the groups challenging the map "have shown that the enacted plan results in the diminishment of Black voters’ ability to elect their candidate of choice in violation of the Florida Constitution."
The decision follows two cases in June 2023 that featured Republican-drawn redistricting maps that were struck down by the United States Supreme Court. Even the court's conservative judges found the maps drawn in Alabama and Louisiana, respectively, to be flagrant efforts to weaken the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In both cases, Republicans have signaled their willingness to appeal because they believe that the maps as they currently exist favor Democratic candidates.
DeSantis' plan was created after vetoing the map submitted by the Republican-dominated Florida State Legislature. DeSantis' map was designed to get U.S. Rep Al Lawson, a Black man, out of office, by creating districts that parceled out areas where Black people voted to Republican candidates. Voting rights advocates argued that this arrangement violated Florida voting law as well as federal voting rights protections.
Marsh wrote in his brief that the defendants failed to persuasively argue that the state's provision establishing that minority-dominant districts are protected from being weakened or eliminated was, in fact, a violation of the United States Constitution. This decision has a major impact on the Black voters of Florida since the population of the state is 17% Black, and DeSantis' plan would essentially lead to a state ruled by white politicians.
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