ATLANTA — It will now be up to a federal court judge to decide if the new Congressional and legislative district maps pass Constitutional muster.
The Georgia House approved the latest map along party lines.
State Rep. Derrick Jackson, D-Tyrone, and his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. brought that lawsuit challenging the 2021 district maps.
A judge agreed those maps were unconstitutional and ordered them redrawn, but Jackson doesn’t think the new maps are much better.
“Georgians are asking us to get it right, and I believe the Republicans got it wrong,” Jackson said.
Channel 2′s Richard Elliot spoke to Jackson minutes after the House approved the new Republican-drawn Congressional district lines.
Federal court Judge Steve Jones ruled the maps unconstitutional and ordered the new maps to include a new Black majority Congressional district, but also said it can’t be done by eliminating minority opportunity districts elsewhere like the 7th Congressional District which is a minority coalition district, meaning the Black, Hispanic and Asian populations together make up about 65% of voters.
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Georgia Republicans did create a Black majority district west of Atlanta, but in doing so, drastically redrew the 7th out of Gwinnett County, thereby eliminating the minority coalition and preserving their nine to five majority in Congress.
“It fully complies with Judge Jones’ order,” said state Rep. Rob Leverett, R-Elberton, the bill’s sponsor.
Leverett insists they followed the judge’s instructions to the letter and that Democrats are misunderstanding that order.
“This notion that we are violating this order because we’re doing something that the judge told us not to do is misconstruing that language,” Leverett told Elliot.
But Jackson thinks the judge will reject the maps and order a special master to redraw them, which will narrow the Republican majority.
“I’m concerned that, one, that the Republicans are not in compliance with this order, and now it’s going to be taken out of our hands and go to a special master,” Jackson said.
The governor is expected to sign the maps sometime on Friday.
Jones will review the maps at a hearing on Dec. 20. We should learn their fate after that.
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