Article Summary
A federal judge in Atlanta ruled that Republicans in Georgia violated a civil rights law by drawing voting maps that weakened the influence of Black voters, and ordered new maps to be drawn before the 2024 elections. The judge, Steve C. Jones, requested the state’s legislature to promptly draft new maps for equitable representation of Black residents, who make up over a third of Georgia’s population. The ruling comes after a Supreme Court ruling in June upheld that race can factor into redistricting, invigorating challenges to maps believed to racially discriminate.
Judge Rules Georgia’s Voting Maps Unlawful, Orders Redrawing
A federal judge in Atlanta declared that Republicans in Georgia violated a crucial civil rights law by drawing voting maps that weakened the influence of Black voters. The judge ordered new maps to be developed before the 2024 elections. Black residents, who constitute over a third of Georgia’s population, must be given equal representation, according to Judge Steve C. Jones of the Northern District of Georgia.
Judge Jones stated that Georgia, one of many Southern states where Republicans are defending disputed congressional maps, has made significant progress towards voting equality since 1965. However, he pointed out that Georgia’s political process still lacks equal opportunity for everyone. The Supreme Court’s June ruling that race could be a factor in redistricting invigorated the challenges to these maps. It upheld the Voting Rights Act of 1965’s key remaining principle, a significant accomplishment of the civil rights movement.
Deadline Set for New Maps
Judge Jones set a December 8 deadline for the State Legislature to create new maps. If a suitable solution isn’t produced by then, the court will step in. As part of the regular redistricting process after the census, Georgia Republicans had attempted to dilute Democratic influence by dividing key groups of voters into different districts.
Judge Jones ruled that Georgia violated the Voting Rights Act by undermining the power of Black voters in the state’s congressional map and its statehouse districts division. These redistricting plans were put into place as Democrats were gaining momentum in Georgia, a state that was once a Republican stronghold.
Legal Challenges to the Maps
Those challenging the maps argued that the growing size of the Black electorate in Georgia merited at least one additional majority-Black district in Congress and more majority-Black districts in the State House of Representatives. One of the plaintiffs is Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the oldest Black fraternity in the nation, with thousands of members in Georgia.
Judge Jones had allowed the disputed maps to be used in 2022, a decision he called “difficult”. Republicans maintained that there was substantial evidence to prove that Black voters retained equal influence in the state. However, the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by agreeing that Alabama had unlawfully diluted the power of its Black voters has implications for Georgia as well.
With the House’s control depending on a slim Republican majority, redrawing just a few districts in the South could shift the balance of power. The court also stated that the legislature needed to redraw its state map. The ruling in Georgia may be appealed, and Republicans in other states have tried to prolong litigation to avoid new maps that are less politically favorable for their incumbents.
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