A judge is ordering Georgia to draw new congressional and state legislative maps after finding the current maps illegally discriminate against Black voters.
ATLANTA — A federal judge has ruled that Georgia's congressional and state legislative districts must be redrawn before the 2024 election, reshaping the fight for control of Congress and the Georgia legislature.drawn by Republican lawmakers after the last census violate the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black voters.Jones, who was nominated to the court by former President Barack Obama, ordered lawmakers to redraw the maps by Dec. 8.
The state is expected to appeal the decision, though in a similar case, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld rulings ordering GOP-led Alabama to redraw its U.S. House map to add an additional district boosting Black voters. The plaintiffs argued that in some places, map-makers shoved Black voters together and, in other places, split them apart, reducing the number of districts where they had the clout to elect their preferred candidates.
William Cooper, an expert witness for the plaintiffs, submitted an illustrative map that created additional majority-Black state legislative districts south of Atlanta and in Georgia's historic Black Belt, including seats near Albany, Macon and Augusta.Lawyers for the state argued that Black Georgians no longer face systemic discrimination at the ballot box, noting, for example, that Black Georgians in recent years have been able to elect both their preferred candidates for the U.S.
When Republican lawmakers redrew the maps in 2021, they made McBath's 6th District a lot more friendly to Republicans by squeezing as many Democrats as possible into the 7th District.In 2022, McBath ended up winning a primary against Bordeaux in the safe 7th District, while a Republican swept the new 6th.And a big question wrapped up in that debate is how much a voter's race correlates with which party they support in elections.
But in 2013 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down that provision of the Voting Rights Act in a case called, making 2020 the first post-census redistricting cycle in Georgia without"pre-clearance."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A federal judge says Georgia's political maps must be redrawn for the 2024 electionA judge is ordering Georgia to draw new congressional and state legislative maps after finding the current maps illegally discriminated against Black voters.
Read more »
Colo. judge rejects Trump's bid to toss lawsuit aimed at keeping him off 2024 ballotSummer Concepcion is a politics reporter for NBC News.
Read more »
Georgia St. Panthers vs Georgia Southern Eagles Line MovementGeorgia St. Panthers vs Georgia Southern Eagles
Read more »
Georgia State vs Georgia Southern Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Eagles Fly Passed PanthersCollege football odds, picks and prediction for Georgia State Panthers vs Georgia Southern Eagles. Week 9 betting free pick and game analysis.
Read more »
Biden's Israel stance angers Arab, Muslim-Americans; could jeopardize 2024 votesArab and Muslim Americans and their allies are criticizing President Joe Biden's response to the Israel-Hamas war, asking him to do more to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza or risk losing their support in the 2024 election.
Read more »