Florida judge lets new congressional map stay for 2024 vote

A Florida judge has allowed a new congressional district map to remain in effect for the upcoming elections, denying a request to block it while a lawsuit challenging its legality proceeds. The ruling represents a significant, though likely temporary, victory for state Republicans who enacted the map.

Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes issued the order on Tuesday, stating that the plaintiffs, a coalition of voting rights organizations and individual voters, had not provided sufficient evidence at this stage to prove the map was drawn with unconstitutional partisan intent. He also emphasized the proximity of the elections, with the primary scheduled for August and the general election in November. The public interest, he wrote, weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps.

The map was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this month following a special legislative session. It is expected to shift the partisan balance of several districts, potentially giving Republican candidates an advantage in up to four additional congressional seats out of Florida’s 28. Under the previous map, Democrats held eight districts; analysts suggest the new...