By Aaron Miller-
US District Judge Steve Jones(pictured) approved Georgia’s controversial congressional map, sparking criticism from voting rights advocates who argue that the new district lines unlawfully diminish the voting power of minority residents.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones said in a 15-page order that the General Assembly “fully complied” with his October order that required the creation of a majority-Black congressional district in the western part of metro Atlanta.
Jones also approved new legislative maps for state Senate and House districts, which he found were originally crafted in a racially discriminatory manner.
The judge said in his earlier order that state lawmakers had to redraw two new Black-majority districts in Georgia’s state Senate and five new Black-majority districts in its state House.
The dispute across the southeast is one of many being litigated that could have helped Democrats in their battle to regain control of the House in the 2024 general elections.
The decision, labeled “a disgrace” by critics, has significant implications for the upcoming elections, potentially solidifying the Republican Party’s advantage in the swing state.
The ruling sets the stage for the 2024 elections, with Republicans expected to maintain their 9-5 majority among Georgia’s 14 seats in the US House of Representatives.
Three separate orders from Judge Jones rejected claims that the revised maps failed to adequately support Black voters, stating that the general assembly had fulfilled the court’s order to create Black-majority districts in regions where vote dilution was identified.
The case, stemming from a series of lawsuits challenging the fairness of Georgia’s redistricting, has broader implications for the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
Democrats, aiming to regain a majority, need to secure a net gain of five Republican seats nationally in the upcoming November elections.
The legal confrontation began when Jones ruled in October that the initial set of maps unfairly harmed Black voters.
The judge, appointed by former President Barack Obama, mandated the creation of a new map that included an additional district with a Black majority or near-majority.
Despite the state’s appeal, Republican Governor Brian Kemp scheduled a special legislative session to comply with the court’s order.
In early December, the Republican-controlled legislature approved a revised map that added Black-majority districts.
However, this move came at the cost of dismantling Georgia’s seventh district, represented by Lucy McBath, a Black woman and a vocal advocate for gun control.
McBath, whose district primarily comprised minority voters, including Black, Latino, and Asian residents, now faces the prospect of running in a new district for the second consecutive election.
Critics argue that the ruling reflects a politically motivated strategy by Republicans to target McBath’s district, where she has successfully built a multiracial coalition.
LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Atlanta-based Black Voters Matter fund, decried the decision, emphasizing the need for a robust federal voting rights law that holds the judiciary accountable.
While Republicans maintain that the redistricting effort aligns with Jones’s ruling, Democrats and voting rights groups contend that it violates the judge’s directive not to remedy the problem “by eliminating minority districts elsewhere.”
The legal battle has further intensified the ongoing debate over the fairness and transparency of redistricting processes, with critics calling for stronger safeguards against partisan manipulation.
Candidates running in Georgia’s May 21 primary have until March to file to run. One seat is open, following the announcement in December that GOP Rep. Drew Ferguson will not seek reelection in the 4th District.
Georgia, a pivotal battleground state, is expected to play a crucial role in the 2024 elections, with suburban and Black voters influencing the outcome.
Image: John Disney/ALM