Black voters, advocates sue Florida gerrymandering congressional map

A group of Florida voters and advocates, including Black Voters Matter and the League of Women Voters of Florida, filed a lawsuit Friday challenging the state's new congressional map, arguing that it violates anti-gerrymandering provisions in the state constitution.

The plaintiffs have asked the court to invalidate the map and order a new map that complies with the law.

The state's Republican-controlled legislature approved the new map after Republican Gov. State lawmakers preferred gerrymandered congressional maps earlier this year, according to Ron DeSantis.

State lawmakers tried to comply with the state's Fair Districts Constitutional amendments, which bars legislators from drawing maps to secure partisan gains or deny minority voters representation. DeSantis demanded the Legislature dismantle a Black-held congressional seat in northern Florida, arguing that it violated the U.S. Constitution. The legislature complied with DeSantis' demands through shouted protests from Democrats who shut down the legislature for an hour in protest. The map adds four Republican districts and removes three Democratic seats.

The plaintiffs are supported by the National Redistricting Foundation, an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which is headed up by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, a Democrat.

DeSantis has bullied the legislature into enacting a map that does not allow for a fair election, and instead draws Republicans an illegitimate and illegal partisan advantage that they have not earned from the voters, Holder said in a statement. It is at the expense of Black voters in Florida who are denied fair representation in Congress. Such litigation was expected and referenced by Republicans on the House floor on Thursday, as they tried to defend the maps.

We don't do this because we were bullied. We do this because we think it is right, said state Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican lawmaker. We pass maps that are constitutional, and they will be litigated, and we will learn whether the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reigns supreme over the Florida state constitution. That is the discussion at hand.