A group of voters and voting rights organizations is asking a Leon County Judge to reject the latest congressional maps, approved by a Special Session of the Legislature earlier this month.
The voters and organizations who successfully sued the legislators said Monday, the new map approved last week, remained “brazenly partisan” and still does not address the problems. Last month, Judge Terry Lewis had rejected the first maps declaring them unconstitutional, prompting a redrawing.
“Legislative defendants have now had two opportunities to prepare a constitutional redistricting plan, but they have continued to give partisan goals precedence over compliance with the Florida Constitution,” the attorneys representing the groups wrote in the brief. “Further delay can no longer be tolerated at the expense of Florida’s voters.”
The groups maintain that the new maps still don’t follow the anti-gerrymandering Fair Districts amendments approved in 2010.
Meanwhile, commenting on the Special Session and the new maps, State Rep. Geraldine Thompson (District 12) had this to say:
“I am not satisfied. The judge found the maps had been drawn to benefit the Republican Party and even though there were some very minor changes made, they still benefit the Republican Party. So any vote to accept the new maps will really ratify what was done illegally in the first place. …. So, again, I am not satisfied and the judge is going to review it and hopefully, will see that they’re still unconstitutional.”
Lewis is expected to hold a hearing Wednesday, on whether to approve the new maps.
The congressional districts being manipulated are: the 5th congressional District held by Corrine Brown, a Democrat and the 10th Congressional District held by Daniel Webster, a Republican.
