NRF-Supported Voters Call on Florida Supreme Court to Strike Down DeSantis-Drawn Congressional Map

For Immediate Release
February 29, 2024
Contact
Tomas Graglia
graglia@redistrictingfoundation.org

Washington, D.C. – This week, voters supported by the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), submitted their opening brief to the Florida Supreme Court in the Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute v. Byrd case against Florida’s congressional map. 

“For too long, Black Floridians have been forced to vote on a discriminatory map that denies their right to equal representation,” said Marina Jenkins, Executive Director of the NRF. “Florida’s Secretary of State, the Florida House of Representatives, and the Florida Senate all have explicitly agreed with the plaintiffs on the central fact at issue in this case: Florida’s congressional map diminishes the rightful voting power of Black Floridians in the 5th Congressional District. With clear constitutional law and well-established precedent on the side of the voters, the Florida Supreme Court should strike down the DeSantis-drawn map and restore the rights of Black voters in northern Florida.”

A decision by the Florida Supreme Court could overturn an appeals court that kept the DeSantis-drawn congressional map in place. The plaintiffs in this case are arguing for the restoration of Florida’s 5th Congressional District as a Black opportunity district. Initially, a Florida trial court sided with the 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 NRF initiated this legal challenge in 2022 and remains involved in the case supporting the plaintiffs.

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