Judge finds Florida’s Republican-backed congressional map illegally harms Black voters

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May 11, 2022

By Joseph Ax, Reuters

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis (R) at the at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February 2022 (REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo)

A Florida judge on Wednesday said the state’s new congressional map, championed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, unconstitutionally dilutes Black citizens’ voting power.

During a virtual hearing, Circuit Court Judge J. Layne Smith said the map that passed the legislature last month at DeSantis’ urging “diminishes African Americans’ ability to elect the representative of their choice” in a north Florida district in violation of the state constitution.

Smith indicated he planned to issue a formal order on Thursday or Friday striking down the map, which would then likely be appealed by the state.

Keep reading about this decision that’s being hailed as a win for Black voters.

Learn more about the original fight for voting rights and how, like voter suppression laws, the prison industrial complex also unfairly targets Black Americans.

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