{"id":2115368,"date":"2023-12-04T14:11:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T19:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeals-court-smacks-down-democrats-ludicrous-challenge-to-floridas-congressional-map\/"},"modified":"2023-12-04T14:17:30","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T19:17:30","slug":"appeals-court-smacks-down-democrats-ludicrous-challenge-to-floridas-congressional-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeals-court-smacks-down-democrats-ludicrous-challenge-to-floridas-congressional-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Court rejects Democrats&#8217; baseless challenge to Florida&#8217;s congressional map"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fappeals-court-smacks-down-democrats-ludicrous-challenge-to-floridas-congressional-map%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2115368&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Florida\u2019s \u2064First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a congressional map previously signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2063 on Friday,\u200d striking down a lower court\u2019s \u200bruling that erroneously claimed the proposal suppressed black voters.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/flvoicenews.com\/florida-judge-declares-desantis-redistricting-map-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Writing<\/a> \u200d for a Florida trial court in September, Judge J. Lee Marsh <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23935133\/2023-09-02-final-order-and-judgment.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declared<\/a> the map \u201cunconstitutional\u201d based upon the false notion the map\u200b \u201cdiminish[ed]\u201d black Floridians \u2063\u201cability\u200c to elect their candidate of choice.\u201d The order \u2014 sought by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/antifa-blm-vandalize-ice-building-burn-original-starbucks\/\" title=\"Antifa, BLM vandalize ICE building, burn original Starbucks\">left-wing groups<\/a>\u200d such as\u200b the Black Voters Matters Capacity Building Institute and \u200bthe League of Women Voters of Florida Education Fund \u2014\u200c further mandated the legislature \u200cto redraw the proposed districts.<\/p>\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/1dca.flcourts.gov\/content\/download\/1183075\/opinion\/Opinion_2023-2252.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Friday ruling<\/a>, however, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-legal-system-in-disarray-after-roe-v-wade-decision\/\" title=\"Michigan Legal System in Disarray After Roe v. Wade Decision\">appeals court noted<\/a> how\u200c Marsh\u2019s irrational \u2063logic reads a \u201cracial segregation mandate\u201d into the Florida Constitution by demanding that \u200bcongressional districts be drawn using race as a factor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe constitution cannot demand that \u200call \u2063voters \u2064are treated equally without regard to race \u200band at the same time demand that voters are treated differently based\u200b on race,\u201d\u200d the \u2062court \u2064wrote. Florida\u2019s constitution \u201crequires that racial\u2063 and \u2064language minority voters receive\u2064 an equal opportunity to participate\u200c in the political process and\u2064 have a non-diminished ability\u200b to \u200delect representatives of their choice. The trial \u2064court erred \u2063in \u2064reading a \u200dracial segregation \u200cmandate into\u2064 the constitutional \u200bprovision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are therefore correct\u2063 to reverse the final \u200corder and remand to the\u200d trial court,\u201d it\u2064 added.<\/p>\n<p>Similar legal reasoning was used by\u2062 DeSantis, who <a href=\"https:\/\/floridapolitics.com\/archives\/512310-gov-desantis-vetoes-congressional-map-special-session-on-redistricting-planned\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vetoed<\/a> \u200dprior maps\u2062 approved by \u2064the state legislature last \u200dyear that \u200dcreated\u200b a \u201cblack minority\u200d seat in North Florida.\u201d The governor\u2019s office\u200d argued \u2064the proposal\u2019s \u200ccreation of the district was gerrymandered using race \u2062as the primary factor, and therefore violated the U.S. Constitution\u2019s equal\u2063 protection\u2064 clause. This prompted the GOP-controlled legislature\u200b to <a href=\"https:\/\/floridapolitics.com\/archives\/518762-gov-desantis-signs-his-congressional-map-into-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pass<\/a> \u200c the \u2063newer map \u200dcurrently being litigated in state court.<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs plan to appeal\u200c the circuit court\u2019s \u200cruling to the Florida\u2062 Supreme Court, according\u2063 to \u200cthe \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/courts\/us-appeals-court-congressional-map-reverses-lower-ruling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington Examiner<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Friday\u2019s \u2064decision marks the\u2064 second legal \u200dvictory\u200d in recent weeks upholding \u2062election integrity \u2062measures approved by DeSantis and Florida \u2064Republicans.\u200d In October, a U.S. district court judge <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/01\/court-democrats-have-no-evidence-floridas-voter-registration-process-is-illegal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dismissed<\/a> a lawsuit brought by \u2064leftist\u2063 groups falsely claiming Florida\u2019s voter registration process violated federal law. In his ruling, Judge \u200dAllen Winsor noted \u200chow the plaintiffs failed to provide evidence\u2064 showing that the state\u2019s \u201cwet-signature requirement\u201d is \u201cimmaterial.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a\u2064 graduate of the University \u200dof Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his \u200dwork has \u2063been featured in numerous \u2062outlets,\u2064 including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review.\u2063 Follow him\u200d on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why did the\u200c appeals court\u2063 overturn the lower\u200b court&#8217;s ruling that claimed the map suppressed black voters?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Florida\u2019s First Circuit Court of Appeals recently made a significant \u200bruling regarding a congressional map that was previously signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. In a decision that has widespread implications, the \u2064court overturned a lower \u2063court\u2019s ruling that wrongly claimed the map suppressed black voters.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy \u200bbegan when Judge\u2063 J. Lee Marsh declared \u2062the map \u201cunconstitutional\u201d based on the false \u200dbelief that it diminished the ability of\u200d black Floridians to\u2063 elect their preferred candidates.\u2063 This ruling \u2063was sought by left-wing groups such as the Black Voters Matters Capacity Building Institute and the \u200dLeague of\u200c Women Voters of Florida Education Fund, who further demanded that the proposed\u200b districts be redrawn by the legislature.<\/p>\n<p>However, in its \u200crecent ruling, the appeals court \u200cnoted the irrationality of Marsh\u2019s logic,\u200d accusing\u2063 him of reading\u2063 a \u201cracial segregation mandate\u201d into \u200bthe Florida Constitution by demanding that race be a factor in drawing congressional districts. The\u200d court emphasized that the\u2062 constitution requires\u200d that all voters be treated equally, without regard\u2062 to race, and \u200cat \u2062the same time\u2064 guarantees\u200c that \u200dracial and language minority voters have an equal opportunity to participate in\u200d the\u200d political\u200c process and elect \u200crepresentatives of \u200btheir choice.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200ccourt stated, \u201cThe constitution cannot demand that all \u2062voters are treated equally \u200cwithout regard to race and \u2062at the same time demand that \u200bvoters are treated differently based on\u2063 race. The trial court erred in reading a racial segregation mandate\u2062 into the constitutional provision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Based on this \u2063reasoning, the court reversed the lower court\u2019s \u200ddecision and remanded the case back to the trial court for further \u2062proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, Governor DeSantis \u2064had already vetoed prior maps \u2062approved by the state legislature last\u2063 year for similar reasons. \u2062He argued that those maps created \u2062a \u201cblack \u200cminority seat in North Florida\u201d through gerrymandering, which violated the U.S. Constitution\u2019s principle of\u200d equal protection.<\/p>\n<p>The latest\u200d ruling by the\u200b appeals court supports\u200d the\u2064 governor\u2019s position, further highlighting the importance of fairness and equal\u200d representation in \u200bthe redistricting process. It establishes a \u2063legal precedent that disallows the use of race as the primary factor in drawing congressional districts.<\/p>\n<p>This decision\u2063 has significant implications for Florida&#8217;s electoral landscape and serves as a reminder of the ongoing \u200cchallenges \u2063and controversies surrounding redistricting. \u200bIt \u2063emphasizes the need to uphold both the constitutional requirement of equal treatment for\u2062 all voters and the guarantee of \u200crepresentation for racial\u200d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/canadas-liberals-to-spend-100-million-on-action-plan-for-2slghtqia-and-the-other-letters-community\/\" title=\"Canada\u2019s Liberals to Spend 0 Million on Action Plan for \u201c2SLGHTQIA+\u201d (And the Other Letters) Community\">language minority communities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200bthe\u2063 case \u2064moves \u200dforward, it will be\u200b interesting to see \u200bhow the trial court responds to the appeals court\u2019s ruling and what impact it will have on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-courts-second-week-heats-up-with-nancy-mace-gerrymandering-case\/\" title=\"Supreme Court's week two sizzles with Nancy Mace gerrymandering case.\">future \u200credistricting efforts<\/a> in Florida. This decision is likely\u200b to \u2063shape the way redistricting is conducted in the state and\u200b could set a\u200c precedent for other states grappling with similar issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida\u2019s First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Gov. Ron DeSantis&#8217; congressional map, dismissing a lower court&#8217;s ruling that wrongly alleged it suppressed black voters. In September, Judge J. Lee Marsh declared the map &#8220;unconstitutional&#8221; due to a mistaken belief that it favored certain groups. The appeals court has now overturned this decision<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2115369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2115368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2115368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2115369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2115368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2115368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2115368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}