Federal judge rules Georgia's district lines violated Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn
CBSOCT 23 2023
US District Court Judge Steve C. Jones on Thursday ordered Georgia's congressional map to be redrawn by its state legislature after finding that its current boundaries discriminate against Black voters.
In addition, Jones is requiring the state to draw two new Black-majority districts in the state's 56-seat state Senate and five new Black-majority districts in the 180-seat state House.
Within the 516-page ruling, Jones wrote that despite "great strides" in the state, Georgia's political process was still not "equally open to Black voters" — ruling the current map violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
There remains a chance this decision will be overturned, and Georgia’s legislators shouldn’t redraw any maps until every legal option has been exhausted. The Obama-nominated judge is simply trying to sway the balance of power in Congress.
The decision is a win for democracy and those who stand against voter suppression. Republicans intentionally drew maps that failed to reflect the state's demographics. There’s hope that in the near future, it won’t take the courts to fight this type of racism.