Florida State Judge Rules DeSantis’ Voter Redistricting Unconstitutional

A state judge ruled a Florida redistricting map by Governor Ron DeSantis is unconstitutional and said it must be drawn.

The Details: Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh ruled that redrawn districts in Northern Florida violated Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments by gerrymandering a district “that enabled Black voters to elect their candidates of choice under the previous plan.” Under DeSantis’ new map, Rep. Al Lawson, a black Democrat, lost his 2022 midterm election race by 20 points, in a district that saw many black voters redistributed into neighboring districts.

For Context: Every 10 years, following the census, lawmakers in all 50 states redraw election districts. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an Alabama map drawn by Republicans, and shortly after that lifted a hold on a case in Louisiana that will likely result in the creation of a mostly Black congressional district.

How The Media Covered It: Associated Press (Lean Left bias) placed responsibility for the redrawn maps on DeSantis himself, and wrote, “In an unprecedented move, DeSantis interjected himself into the redistricting process last year by vetoing the Republican-dominated Legislature’s map that preserved Lawson’s district.” The Hill (Center bias) and Fox News (Right bias) did not mention this context, and framed responsibility differently. The Hill said the redistricting was “authorized” by DeSantis, while Fox News called it the work of “the DeSantis administration.”