TALAHASEY, Florida (AP) – A Congressional map approved by Florida Governor Ron Desantis and drawn by his staff is unconstitutional because it violates a constituency where black voters can elect their representative, a state judge said Wednesday.
County Judge Leon Lane Smith said Thursday or Friday will issue an official order to prevent the maps from taking effect in the November election. He clarified that he would speak in favor of electoral groups protesting against the maps.
The challenge is centered in the North Florida area, now owned by U.S. Democrat Al Lawson. The borough runs 200 miles (322 kilometers) west of Jacksonville to Gadden borough and nearly half of its population is black.
“The judge recognizes that this map is illegal and undermines the ability of African Americans to choose their own representatives,” Lawson said in a statement sent by e-mail. “The landing is wrong when it comes to a Republican -style map that clearly violates U.S. and state constitutions.”
The proposed landing sparked protests from Black House members as the chamber prepares to vote on the maps.
Smith said he will release his order as soon as possible so the state can appeal immediately. It may be the Supreme Court of the conservative state that is finally settling the dispute.
The DeSantis office confirmed it would appeal.
“As Judge Smith said, complex constitutional issues of the law will always be resolved at the appeal level,” DeSantis spokesman Tarin Fenske said in an email. “We will no doubt appeal his decision and are confident that the constitutional bill will take effect and be signed by the Florida legislature.”
Smith said that while DeSantis ’map is more compact, it is a more important issue for black voters to choose their own representatives.
“The constituency, which has since been inaugurated and signed by the governor, wasted 367,000 African American votes in four different constituencies,” Smith said in a video call to both sides. “The African American population is nowhere near the majority or majority.”
Equal Ground, one of the voting rights groups protesting the maps, praised Smith’s decision.
“No Florida-including Governor Landing-is above the law,” Jasmine Bernie-Clark, co-founder of Equal Ground, said in an e-mailed statement. “This is a step forward in the fight to protect black voters and we will continue to do our best to make our voices heard.”
Smith said his decision will be based on the state constitution and not on the U.S. constitution.
The competition for the Federal Office will run until June 13-17.
Source: Huffpost
