By Andrian Putra
Atlanta, December 5, 2023 – A Georgia Senate committee voted 7-4 along party lines to move forward the proposed redistricting congressional map. The Georgia State Senate is expected to vote on the proposed congressional map at a special session today.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled that Georgia's congressional, state Senate and state House maps violated federal law by diluting Black voting power during a ruling in October.
Judge Jones instructed lawmakers to create a new congressional district at western side of metro Atlanta. In addition to additional congressional district, Judge Jones mandated two additional state Senate districts and five additional state House districts.
He further wrote that Georgia can't fix its problems “by eliminating minority opportunity districts elsewhere.” Georgia Senate Republicans interpreted the “ruling as minority opportunity” to mean majority-Black.
A 1990 Florida case of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which oversees Georgia, Florida, and Alabama that minority coalitions are protected from having their votes diluted. That precedent is likely to be front and center in arguments over whether U.S. District Judge Steve Jones should accept new maps drawn by Georgia lawmakers.
The Senate ruling would carve up the current 7th District. Congresswoman Lucy McBath currently represents Atlanta suburbs including southern Gwinnett County and northern Fulton County. No ethnic group has a majority in the district, but Black, Asian and Hispanic voters collectively favor Democrats.
The 7th district would be carved up between two Democratic and two Republican incumbents. Lawmakers would instead create a new majority-Black 6th District in Cobb, Douglas, Fulton and Fayette counties.
The new proposed map could set up court fight over whether the federal Voting Rights Act protects McBath’s current district from being wiped out.
If the proposed redistricting passes, it would be Congresswoman McBath second time in two years being unseated in redrawn map.
