After the GOP-led Florida Legislature was found to have corrupted the congressional redistricting process, Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis ruled Friday, the flawed congressional maps should be redrawn by August 15. Lewis also ordered new congressional maps in place by August 21 and that a proposed special election schedule be submitted for the affected congressional districts.
Lewis noted that “there is just no way, legally or logistically, to put in place a new map, amend the various deadlines and have elections on November 4, as prescribed by Federal law.”
And while Lewis acknowledged there is no easy solution, he suggested “it might be possible to push the general election date back to allow for a special election in 2014 for any affected districts.”
Lewis said, he has not yet concluded whether setting new elections for a new map is legal or practical, but doing nothing was not the way to go.
The congressional districts which were manipulated are: the 5th congressional District held by Corrine Brown, a Democrat and the 10th Congressional District held by Daniel Webster.
Last month, Lewis called out the Republican-led Legislature and their political consultants and ruled that they had conspired to manipulate and influence the redistricting process and might have gotten away with concealing their scheme and actions from the public had it not been for the Plaintiffs’ determined effort to uncover it in this case.
The League of Women Voters of Florida praised Lewis’ decision Friday and issued the following statement:
A hearing will take place on August 20, 2014 on objections to the map and the proposed special election schedule.
