GOP wins Georgia redistricting that gives party advantage with ‘Black district'
A Georgia judge has ruled that the Republican legislature's new electoral map that creates a majority-Black voting district and gives the GOP an advantage satisfies the Voting Rights Act,
The news was also posted on social media by Michael Li, a redistricting lawyer for the non-profit law and public policy institute Brennan Center.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones issued three separate orders rejecting claims that the newly drawn maps did not do enough to help Black voters. He went on to say that his job was to ensure minority voters weren't illegally harmed by districting, but he couldn't interfere in legislative choices even if Republicans worked to protect their own political power through gerrymandering, said the Associated Press.
Jones had in October ordered the maps be redrawn because they were detrimental to Black voters.
The legislature was then forced to come back to Atlanta to redraw the maps in a special session.
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This final map approved by Jones will ultimately be used in the 2024 election, and is expected to preserve the 9-5 GOP majority in Georgia's 14 congressional districts, as well as preserve GOP majorities in the state chambers.
The new map adds Black-majority districts the Jones had ordered, but also radically redraws some Democratic-held districts that didn't have Black majorities.