Judge Tosses Georgia Congressional And Legislative Districts. Legislature Must Redraw Maps.

Moments ago, U.S. District Judge Steve C Jones, in a massive 516 page document, has ruled that several of Georgia’s Congressional, State House and State Senate districts violated the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

Judge Jones has given Georgia until December 8, 2023 to produce new maps.

Rumors had been floating around for a while that Legislators were urged to be ready for a Special Session to be held the last week of November or the first week of December. With the ruling out now, we’ll see exactly when the Special Session is called for.

Our lawyers can correct me if I’m wrong, but I suppose Legislators could redraw only the districts specified in the ruling. However, redistricting is a complicated process. Adjusting one district impacts other districts. Trying to only redraw the specific districts implicated by the Court, likely leads to redrawing the entire state.

The redrawn maps will have then to go back to Judge Jones for final approval. As we’ve seen in other states, Jones could reject the redrawn maps if he doesn’t think the new maps comply with the VRA.

As Samuel L. Jackson said in the first Jurassic Park “hold on to your butts.”