NRF Statement on Florida Appeals Court Decision in Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute v. Byrd

For Immediate Release
December 1, 2023
Contact
Brooke Lillard
lillard@redistrictingfoundation.org

Washington, D.C. – Following the Florida Appeals Court decision in the case Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute v. Byrd, Marina Jenkins, the Executive Director of the National Redistricting Foundation, released the following statement:

“Not only does this decision directly contradict Florida Supreme Court precedent, it flies in the face of admissions explicitly made by Florida's Secretary of State, the Florida House of Representatives, and the Florida Senate, that the state’s map actively diminishes the voting power of Black Floridians. In short, it defies common sense. Florida’s congressional map plainly violates the state’s constitution, but instead of enforcing compliance with the constitution as written and as passed by the people of Florida, the court has instead tried to simply change the law. This fight is not over, we will continue to advocate for a fairer congressional map that provides equal, non-discriminatory representation for the people of Florida.”

The Florida trial court had previously sided with plaintiffs ruling that Florida’s congressional map violates Article III, § 20 of the Florida Constitution, commonly known as the Fair Districts Amendment. Leading up to the trial, the case against Florida’s congressional map was strengthened by an agreement between the parties to the litigation. The National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), initiated this legal challenge in 2022 and remains involved in the case supporting the plaintiffs.

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