Florida Defends New Congressional Map Amid Gerrymandering Claims

The Ryan Gorman Show podcast, presented by Farah and Farah, accident attorneys, Tampa. For today's top stories. Good morning, Natalie. Good morning. Right off the top this morning, the legal battle over the state's new congressional map. It is heating up to say the least. State attorneys are defending the redistricting plan, arguing that it lacks the telltale signs of partisan gerrymandering. Sorry. In the 29-page filing, the state claims the boundaries are visually compact and look normal. Civil rights groups want the map blocked, arguing it violates the state's fair district's amendment to favor Republicans. Critical court hearing on the emergency injunction is on tap for tomorrow morning. During Friday's arguments, the judge will rule on whether to grant a temporary injunction. The decision will hinge on two legal arguments. Number one. Voting rights groups argued that allowing the map to stand causes irreparable harm to voters' constitutional rights. They'll be asking the judge to strike down the current lines immediately and ordered the state to use the 2022 map for the upcoming elections. And number two, attorneys for Ron DeSantis will maintain that the new boundaries are legal and compact. They will be arguing that halting the map so close to the August primary elections will create mass confusion for election super and for voters. I love that argument. They just approved the map two weeks ago. So like, Oh, my God. If you change things now, it's going to cause all this confused. We're already confused. Like, we just talked about that poll where most people, they don't have any idea. Yeah, they have no idea what's going on. Who is going to represent them in the district that they live in. I think, look, I don't know how this is going to go in courts, especially with the Florida Supreme Court, which has been mainly almost entirely appointed by Ron DeSantis. But. I just don't see how you can make the case that this isn't a partisan gerrymander here. I mean, you had one of the governor's aides during legislative hearings acknowledge that partisan political data was used in drawing the map. We all know. why this redistricting effort was undertaken here in Florida. It was to compete with some of the partisan gerrymandering redistricting efforts that we saw in other states, including in Virginia. And well, and just the results of what they did, where they flipped four from looking blue to red and that they put the map out there in color, blue and red. Right. I mean, it's this like... gaslighting that we see and in the state's legal filing argued that uh democratic led states like virginia illinois uh examples of partisan gerrymandering yes they are

But it doesn't mean that we have to do here. And putting all of that aside whether or not you're in favor of the redistricting effort that's taken place across the country. I think it's causing a big mess. And I don't think it's leading to the big net gains that everybody thought that it might. You've also got the Fair Districts Amendment here in this state. And this is this interesting position the state finds itself in. They're arguing that it's not a partisan gerrymander because then it could. fall into violation of the Fair District's Amendment where you can't do that. But then they're also arguing that the Fair District Amendment, it's unconstitutional because one portion of it, the racial component, was struck down by the Supreme Court. So you kind of got two. arguments that they're making at the same time there that I think are in conflict with each other a little bit. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I mean, that's going to be a very, very consequential ruling, but this idea that this wasn't a partisan gerrymander. I mean, come on. The map is red and blue. We can't handle change. Follow the show and give us your hot take on Facebook, Instagram, and X. At Ryan Gorman Show, presented by Farah and Farah, accident attorneys, Tampa.