CASE SUMMARY

On March 11, 2022 a coalition of voting rights organizations and Florida voters filed a federal lawsuit against Florida's Secretary of State, Governor, and various state legislative leaders challenging the state's lack of a new congressional redistricting plan as violating the U.S. Constitution and federal law. First, plaintiffs asserted the state's old congressional redistricting plan, based off 2010 Census data, had since become malapportioned due to population shifts in violation of the one person, one vote requirement under Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. Second, plaintiffs alleged the prior decade's congressional plan also violated 2 U.S.C. Section 2(c) because it contained only 27 congressional districts despite Florida being entitled to 28 congressional representatives after the last reapportionment of congressional seats. They originally sought a judicial declaration that Florida's current congressional districts configuration was both unconstitutional and unlawful, a preliminary and permanent injunction barring the plan from being used in future elections, and a court order establishing a schedule for the court's timely adoption and implementation of a new, lawful congressional redistricting plan for use in the 2022 elections.

On May 11, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint dropping their original claims and adding two new ones against the state's enacted congressional redistricting plan. They allege the plan was enacted with discriminatory intent against Black Floridians in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. They are seeking a judicial declaration that the enacted plan is unconstitutional, a permanent injunction barring the defendants from using the plan in future elections, and for the court to establish a reasonable deadline for state authorities to enact a constitutional plan or for the court to adopt one on its own if the state fails to do so.

Similar Case: Arteaga v. Lee

CASE LIBRARY

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division - No. 4:22-cv-109 [formerly No. 5:22-cv-59 in the N.D. Fla., Panama City Division]

Common Cause Florida v. Lee
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