- Georgia will reportedly appeal a judge’s order to redraw some of its congressional and legislative districts.
- U.S. District Judge Steve Jones issued a 516-page order calling for additional majority-Black seats at the federal level and in both of Atlanta’s legislative chambers.
- Georgia is one of many states currently contending with redistricting litigation, with Alabama’s House map the most recent to be redrawn more favorably for Democrats at the courts’ behest.
Georgia says it will appeal a judge’s order to redraw some congressional and state legislative districts, but that it won’t fight in court to pause the order for now, meaning a special session later this month to draw new lines is likely to proceed.
The filing came Wednesday in a second case challenging Georgia’s electoral districts being pursued by different plaintiffs. The decision not to seek a stay of the ruling could forestall that second trial.
It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday why the state is pursuing this strategy. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr, both Republicans, have yet to comment on the substance of the ruling and what the state will do going forward.
FEDERAL COURT SELECTS NEW ALABAMA CONGRESSIONAL MAP, LIKELY HANDING DEMOCRATS A SEAT AT NEXT HOUSE ELECTION
A federal judge ruled last week that some of Georgia’s congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, ordering the state to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, in his 516-page order, also ordered the state to draw two new Black-majority districts in Georgia’s 56-member state Senate and five new Black-majority districts in its 180-member state House.
Jones ordered Georgia’s Republican-majority General Assembly to fix the maps by Dec. 8, saying he would redaw districts if lawmakers did not. Hours after the ruling, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp issued a call for a special session to begin Nov. 29 to…
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