Story perspectives

Civil Rights Groups Sue Florida Map, Claim Minority Vote Dilution

5/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

Three civil-rights groups filed lawsuits alleging the new congressional map violates Florida’s 2010 anti-partisan gerrymandering amendment.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the map, which would raise Republican seats to 24 and lower Democratic seats to four.
State Supreme Court justices appointed by DeSantis previously weakened the amendment, creating uncertainty for the lawsuits.
Democratic analysts warn the redistricting could dilute minority voting power before the projected 2026 Democratic wave election.

History

Historical Context

The 1960 Supreme Court ruling in Gomillion v. Lightfoot struck Alabama’s 28-sided gerrymander that left only ten Black voters in Tuskegee, affirming the Fifteenth Amendment. That precedent underpins today’s challenge to Governor Ron DeSantis’s Florida map, which allocates 24 Republican and four Democratic seats and is being sued by the NAACP and other civil-rights groups.

1 of 2

Story summary

Three civil-rights groups filed lawsuits alleging the new congressional map violates Florida’s 2010 anti-partisan gerrymandering amendment.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the map, which would raise Republican seats to 24 and lower Democratic seats to four.
State Supreme Court justices appointed by DeSantis previously weakened the amendment, creating uncertainty for the lawsuits.
Democratic analysts warn the redistricting could dilute minority voting power before the projected 2026 Democratic wave election.

1 / 2