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The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block the state's new congressional map that's backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
State of play: DeSantis' redistricting map is slated to stay intact ahead of the 2022 midterms. A Circuit Court previously struck down parts of it, saying "it diminishes African Americans' ability to elect the representatives of their choice," but it was reinstated by an appeals court last month.
- The appellate decision didn't consider the constitutionality of the map but said the lower court had no right to block it before it was in place, and that the decision "frustrated the status quo, rather than preserved it."
- The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the advocacy groups Black Voters Matter, Equal Ground Education Fund, League of Women Voters of Florida, Florida Rising Together and individual voters.
Background: The map was drawn by DeSantis and adopted by Florida's legislature.
- DeSantis has called it "race-neutral," but it will make it harder for north Florida voters to elect a Black member of Congress in the 5th Congressional District, where nearly half its residents are Black.