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]
- Final Judgment - 7/10/14
Florida Supreme Court - No. SC14-1905
- Legislative Parties' Notice of Cross-Appeal - 9/8/14
- Legislative Parties' Response to Appellants' Suggestion for Certification - 9/12/14
- Acknowledgment of New Case - 10/2/14
- Appellants' Suggestion for Certification - 10/2/14
- Final Trial Court Judgment - 10/2/14
- Notice - 10/2/14
- Notice of Joinder in Appeal - 10/2/14
- Trial Court Order Approving Remedial Redistricting Plan - 10/2/14
- Appellants' Brief in Support of Accepting Certification - 10/3/14
- Appellants' Motion to Accept Brief in Support of Accepting Certification - 10/3/14
- Order - 10/6/14
- Order - 10/6/14
- Legislative Parties' Brief on Jurisdiction - 10/16/14
- Scheduling Order - 10/23/14
- Appellants' Agreed Motion to Utilize Record From Related Appeal - 10/28/15
- Appellants' Agreed Motion to Extend Briefing Schedule and Enlarge Page Limits - 10/28/14
- Appellants' Request to Toll Time - 10/28/14
- Order - 10/31/14
- Order - 11/20/14
- Appellants' Unopposed Motion to Supplement the Record - 11/21/14
- Appendix I - 11/21/14
- Initial Brief of Appellants - 11/22/14
- Supplement to Initial Brief of Appellants - 11/22/14
- Motion for Leave to File Amici Curiae Brief - 12/1/14
- Brief of Amici Curiae LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Florida New Majority and Mi Familia Vota - 12/1/14
- Order - 12/1/14
- Order Unsealing Documents - 12/8/14
- Appellants' Second Motion to Determine Confidentiality [Unsealed Document A] - 12/8/14
- Notice of Motion to Determine Confidentiality [Unsealed Document B] - 12/8/14
- Appendix II [Unsealed Document C] - 12/8/14
- Initial Brief of Appellants [Unsealed Document D] - 12/8/14
- Corrected Initial Brief of Appellants [Unsealed Document E] - 12/8/14
- Unopposed Motion to Supplement Record on Appeal - 12/17/14
- Appendix to the Legislative Parties' Unopposed Motion to Supplement Record on Appeal - 12/17/14
- Order - 12/18/14
- Legislative Parties' Answer Brief and Initial Brief on Cross Appeal - 12/19/14
- Supplemental Appendix to the Legislative Parties' Answer Brief and Initial Brief on Cross Appeal - 12/19/14
- Answer Brief of the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches - 12/19/14
- Corrected Answer Brief of the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches - 12/23/14
- Appellants' Unopposed Motion to Supplement the Record - 1/9/15
- Reply Brief of the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches to Cross-Appellants' Initial Brief - 1/9/15
- Appendix to Appellants' Motion to Supplement - 1/9/15
- Appellants' Reply Brief/Answer Brief on Cross-Appeal - 1/9/15
- Order - 1/12/15
- Legislative Parties' Response to Appellants' Motion to Accept Reply Brief/Answer Brief on Cross-Appeal - 1/14/15
- Order - 1/14/15
- Appellants' Unopposed Motion for Leave to File Corrected Reply Brief/Answer Brief on Cross-Appeal - 1/16/15
- Appellants' Corrected Reply Brief/Answer Brief on Cross-Appeal - 1/16/15
- Order - 1/21/15
- Order - 1/22/15
- Legislative Parties' Reply Brief on Cross-Appeal - 1/23/15
- Legislative Parties' Response in Opposition to Appellants' Motion to Strike - 1/26/15
- Order - 1/28/15
- Appellants' Motion for Leave to File Reply on Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Set Motion for Oral Argument - 3/2/15
- Appellants' Reply in Support of Their Motion for Appellate Attorneys' Fees - 3/2/15
- Order - 3/6/15
- Opinion - 7/9/15
- Order - 7/9/15
- Order - 7/15/15
- Florida House of Representatives' Motion for Further Relinquishment of Jurisdiction - 8/24/15
- Order - 8/25/15
- Florida Senate's Response to the Florida House of Representatives' Motion for Further Relinquishment of Jurisdiction - 8/25/15
- Order - 8/26/15
- Order on Remedial Relinquishment - 8/26/15
- Coalition Appellants' Response to House's Motion for Further Relinquishment of Jurisdiction - 8/27/15
- Order - 9/4/15
- Romo Plaintiffs' Notice of Exhibit A - 9/17/15
- Coalition Plaintiffs' Notice of Exhibit B - 9/17/15
- Florida House of Representatives' Motion for Reconsideration - 9/17/15
- Coalition Appellants' Response to House's Motion for Reconsideration - 9/17/15
- Florida House of Representatives' Motion for Leave to File Reply in Support of Motion for Reconsideration - 9/18/15
- Florida House of Representatives' Reply in Support of Motion for Reconsideration - 9/18/15
- Romo Appellants' Response to House's Motion for Reconsideration - 9/18/15
- Order - 9/21/15
- Order - 9/21/15
- Scheduling Order - 10/9/15
- Trial Court Order on Remedial Plan - 10/9/15
- Order Scheduling Oral Argument - 10/14/15
- Florida House of Representatives' Motion for Continuance of Oral Argument - 10/15/15
- Supplemental Brief of the Florida House of Representatives - 10/16/15
- Order Rescheduling Oral Argument - 10/16/15
- Florida Senate's Supplemental Brief - 10/16/15
- Florida Senate's Supplemental Appendix - 10/16/15
- Unopposed Motion of the Florida House and Senate for Three-Day Extension of Time to Serve Their Responses to Plaintiffs' Supplemental Briefs - 10/20/15
- Florida House and Senate's Request to Toll Time - 10/20/15
- Order - 10/21/15
- Motion of Congressman Daniel Webster Representing Florida's Tenth Congressional District to Intervene as Petitioner - 10/22/15
- Corrected Supplemental Brief of Romo Appellants - 10/23/15
- Order - 10/23/15
- Order - 10/23/15
- Coalition Plaintiffs' Supplemental Brief on Remedy - 10/23/15
- Coalition Appellants' Response to Motion of Congressman Daniel Webster to Intervene as Petitioner - 10/26/15
- Legislative Parties' Response to the Motion of Congressman Daniel Webster to Intervene as Petitioner - 10/26/15
- Order Denying Motion to Intervene - 10/27/15
- Florida House's Supplemental Appendix to Its Response to Appellants' Supplemental Briefs - 10/30/15
- Florida House's Response to Appellants' Supplemental Briefs - 10/30/15
- Florida Senate's Response to the Parties' Supplemental Briefs - 10/30/15
- Opinion - 12/2/15
- Mandate - 12/10/15
- Legislative Parties' Notice of Supplemental Authority - 1/8/16