CASE SUMMARY

In 2012, a coalition of voting rights organizations and Florida voters filed a lawsuit challenging Florida’s newly enacted congressional redistricting plan as violating the Florida Constitution’s Fair Districts Amendment (“FDA”) (art. III, §§ 20-21), which Florida voters had approved via referendum in 2010 and prohibits congressional and legislative redistricting plans from being drawn “with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.” Plaintiffs alleged that several districts in the plan impermissibly favored the Republican Party.

  • On July 10, 2014, the Leon County Circuit Court held the plan was “tainted” with unconstitutional intent to favor Republicans in violation of the FDA and ordered two challenged districts be redrawn. Both parties filed appeals to the Florida Supreme Court.
  • On July 9, 2015, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court’s holding of unconstitutional partisan intent in the plan but reversed its decision citing several errors in the lower court’s review of the case. The Court, applying its now stated correct standard of review, ordered eight of the challenged districts be redrawn and temporarily remanded the case back to the circuit court for further proceedings.
  • The Florida Legislature passed a remedial congressional plan and submitted it to the circuit court for approval. On October 9, 2015, the trial court issued an order approving twenty districts but rejecting eight and ordering the configurations used in one of the plaintiffs’ proposed plans be implemented instead.
  • On December 2, 2015, the Florida Supreme Court approved the trial court’s recommendations and modified plan in full and ordered the plan into use for future elections.

CASE LIBRARY

Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit In and For Leon County, Florida - No. 2012-CA-490 [together with Romo v. Detzner, 2012-CA-412]

Florida Supreme Court - No. SC14-1905