Florida’s highest court will weigh in on the constitutionality of the state's congressional map, but any changes likely wouldn't come in time for the 2024 elections.
On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court issued an order rejecting the state's request to not take up the case, after the state's First District Court of Appeal upheld the map last year.
"Today is a critical step forward in our fight for voting rights and fair representation in Florida," wrote Jasmine Burney-Clark, founder of Equal Ground, one of the voting rights groups challenging the map.
Nearly two years ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed and signed into law a map that removed the former Congressional District 5, which stretched from Gadsden County to eastern Duval County and was held by former Democratic Congressman Al Lawson. The state constitution bans drawing district lines in a way that diminishes the ability of minority groups to elect their candidate of choice.
"The state Supreme Court must uphold the state constitution and recognize the undeniable truth: The congressional map forced upon Floridians by Governor DeSantis and the Legislature is both unconstitutional and unjust," Burney-Clark wrote.
The Secretary of State's Office, which is in charge of administering elections and named in the lawsuit, has declined to comment on pending litigation.
The state's highest court has ordered all parties to spend the next few months preparing for oral arguments, which will be set at a later date.
