ATLANTA — A federal judge says Georgia’s redistricting maps can remain in place for 2022 elections, ruling that it is too close to the May primary to make changes.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Georgia GOP’s redistricting plan into law in December.
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The maps shifted the Republican edge from 8-6 to 9-5, despite a roughly even divide among the electorate statewide that delivered Democratic victories in the 2020 presidential race and January’s two U.S. Senate runoffs.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled this year’s elections can proceed with new congressional districts.
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“Under the specific circumstances of this case, the Court finds that proceeding with the Enacted Maps for the 2022 election cycle is the right decision. But it is a difficult decision. And it is a decision the Court did not make lightly,” Jones wrote.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger released the following statement about the decision.
“This a clear victory for common sense and order over liberals’ attempted partisan power grab. Even a liberal, Obama-appointed judge recognizes that the plaintiffs’ demands were unreasonable, impractical, and not supported by the law. Georgia’s maps are fair and adhere to traditional principles of redistricting, and I look forward to defending them through this case and in the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.”
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The new map extends Democrat Lucy McBath’s 6th Congressional District north into more conservative Cherokee, Forsyth and Dawson Counties, making her seat much more vulnerable to Republican challengers. It moved Johns Creek out of the 6th and puts it into Democrat Carolyn Bordeaux’s 7th District. It also extended Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 14th District into Democratic-leaning West Cobb, including Powder Springs and Austell.
A series of lawsuits have been filed against the state of Georgia challenging the state’s new congressional and legislative maps. The lawsuits argue that the redrawn maps illegally discriminate against minorities and take away their voting power.
The ACLU’s Swan Young argued for the injunction and is disappointed the judge didn’t grant one, but he sees hope in the ruling.
[MAP: Check out the newest Congressional map for Georgia]
“The ACLU of Georgia is encouraged that the court found that the current maps drawn by politicians likely violate the voting rights act,” he said.
In his ruling Monday, Jones wrote his decision for the maps to be used in 2022 should not be viewed as an indication on future rulings regarding the lawsuits.
House Democratic minority whip David Wilkerson of Powder Springs said the ruling wasn’t unexpected, but he accused republicans of delaying the maps intentionally.
“Democrats are on the move, and Republicans purposefully delayed signing those maps until the last possible second so that the judge would be put in this tough situation,” he said.
This legal fight isn’t over. This was only a request for an injunction; the actual lawsuit against the new maps should come sometime next year.
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