Florida judge upholds new GOP congressional map
A Florida circuit judge, Joshua Hawkes, refused to pause implementation of the state’s newly approved congressional district map, a move backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers. The map is expected to increase Republican advantage in multiple districts ahead of upcoming elections.
Groups suing to block the map argued it violates Florida’s constitutionally banned partisan gerrymandering, calling it an especially clear instance of unconstitutional political intent.But Hawkes said the plaintiffs had not yet shown enough evidence of prohibited intent at this stage and noted concerns about disrupting district lines so close to Election Day, which could confuse voters and election administrators.
Even with the denial, the judge indicated courts could revisit the issue later as the broader challenge proceeds. Florida Republicans celebrated the decision,while challengers-including Common Cause Florida and the Southern Poverty Law Center-said they will keep fighting in the courts,with the ruling already being appealed and likely headed to the Florida Supreme Court. The legal dispute is also occurring amid recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have narrowed aspects of redistricting and Voting Rights Act enforcement,adding complexity to the case.
A Florida judge blocked an effort to temporarily halt the use of a newly approved congressional map, dealing another setback to Democrats seeking to stop the state’s latest redistricting push.
Florida Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes, an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), denied requests from multiple groups to pause implementation of the map, which is expected to strengthen Republican advantages in several districts.
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“The primary is less than three months away, and the general less than six months away. The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps,” Hawkes wrote in his ruling.
DeSantis signed the congressional map into law earlier this month during a special session of the Florida legislature. The map could shift as many as four Democratic-leaning districts to Republicans in a state where the GOP already holds a commanding advantage, with 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts favoring the Republican Party.
Groups challenging the map argue the proposal, crafted by DeSantis’s office and approved by Republican lawmakers, violates Florida’s constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering.
“This is just about as clear-cut an example of prohibited partisan gerrymandering as one could think of,” said Brad Heard, deputy legal director at the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the groups behind the lawsuit.
Hawkes, however, said the plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient evidence at this stage that the map was drawn with unconstitutional partisan intent. He also emphasized the proximity of the elections, arguing that changing district lines so close to voting could create confusion for both voters and election officials.
While declining to block the map for now, Hawkes noted that his ruling does not prevent courts from revisiting the issue after the broader legal challenge is considered on the merits.
Florida Republicans quickly celebrated the decision.
“Let’s roll!” DeSantis wrote in a post on X.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also praised the ruling, taking aim at Democratic election attorney Marc Elias.
“Once again, we beat Marc Elias,” Uthmeier posted on X. “Florida’s new congressional district maps stand.”
The ruling is already being appealed and is expected to eventually reach the Florida Supreme Court.
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“We will continue our fight to protect the will of Floridians who overwhelmingly voted to ban partisan gerrymandering in this state,” said Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida. “Because Floridians of all political backgrounds are so clearly against partisan gerrymandering, we will exhaust all legal options to make sure a map this partisan does not last the rest of this decade.”
The legal fight is further complicated by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions limiting the role of race in redistricting cases and narrowing key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, even as Florida’s Constitution separately prohibits partisan gerrymandering.
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