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A newly approved congressional map in Florida that could help Republicans gain four additional U.S. House seats in November’s midterm elections survived its first legal challenge Tuesday after a state judge declined to block the plan.
Joshua Hawkes, a Leon County circuit judge appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, ruled in favor of state officials after DeSantis signed the map into law earlier this month.
“The election machinery of the state is already underway,” Hawkes wrote in the order. “The primary is less than three months away, and the general less than six months. The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps.”
The ruling comes as Republicans nationally pursue aggressive redistricting efforts aimed at preserving the party’s narrow House majority ahead of the midterm elections.
“Let’s roll!” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted to X following the announcement.
DeSantis previously signed a new set of congressional district maps into law. “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered,” DeSantis wrote in a post on X, sharing an image of the newly approved map.
Historically, the president’s party often loses congressional seats during midterm elections. Opponents of the new map filed three lawsuits alleging the redistricting plan amounts to an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.
During a May 15 hearing, attorneys representing the state argued portions of the Fair Districts Amendments conflict with constitutional protections under the Equal Protection Clause.
“The Court will note at this preliminary stage, and especially with the way the Motions are resolved herein, the question of the continued constitutional viability is premature,” Hawkes wrote.
The lawsuits were filed by several organizations, including the Equal Ground Education Fund, the UCLA Voting Rights Project, the Campaign Legal Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the Democracy Defenders Fund. Plaintiffs said they plan to appeal the ruling.
