Florida Appeals Court Upholds DeSantis-Drawn Congressional Map

Published on December 2, 2023

A Florida appeals court on Friday upheld the state’s congressional redistricting map advocated by Gov. Ron DeSantis, rejecting a lower court ruling that it was unconstitutional. The 8–2 decision by Florida’s First District Court of Appeal reversed a lower court ruling in September, which found that the new map had improperly diluted black voting power. The appeals court judges, in a main opinion and three concurring opinions, said the lower court misapplied precedent and that the “trial court should have dismissed the plaintiffs’ suit for lack of proof.” Plaintiffs “failed to present any evidence” that the earlier version of the Fifth Congressional District, referred to as CD-5 in the ruling, contained a singular “geographically compact community” of minorities that would have a right to protection under Florida’s constitution, according to the ruling’s main opinion, written by Judges Adam Tanenbaum and Brad L. Thomas....

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