TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an emergency petition seeking to block Gov. Ron DeSantis’ newly approved congressional map, allowing the districts to remain in effect for the 2026 election cycle while legal challenges continue.
The petition was filed by the Equal Ground Education Fund, which asked the state’s highest court to overturn a lower court ruling that denied a temporary injunction against the map. The organization argues that the redistricting plan violates Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments, constitutional provisions approved by voters in 2010 that prohibit drawing districts to favor political parties or incumbents.
The lawsuit was filed in May by the Elias Law Group on behalf of 18 Florida voters shortly after DeSantis signed the Republican-backed map into law. The map could potentially help Republicans gain up to four additional congressional seats in November, further strengthening the party’s advantage in Florida’s congressional delegation.
Florida Republicans currently hold 20 of the state’s 28 U.S. House seats. With candidate qualifying set to close Friday, election officials will proceed using the newly enacted districts unless a future court ruling orders changes.
Equal Ground Executive Director Genesis Robinson criticized the decision, calling it a failure to check government overreach. Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier celebrated the ruling, describing it as a victory against what he characterized as an effort by Democratic election attorney Marc Elias to reshape Florida’s congressional boundaries through the courts.
The Supreme Court’s decision only addressed the request for emergency relief. The broader lawsuit challenging the legality of the map remains active and could still result in future court proceedings before the election.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
