So federal district Judge Steve Jones ruled that Georgia’s current legislative and congressional maps – namely one seat for US House, two seats for state senate and five seats for house – violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling is 516 pages long, and calls for the legislature to draw new maps by December 8 or else a special master will be appointed.
Also the ruling states these following demands:
- Redrawn congressional majority-minority district must be in west of Atlanta, including parts of Cobb and Douglas counties
- Two redrawn state senate majority-minority districts must be in south of Atlanta
- two House seats south of Atlanta, one west of Atlanta, and two around Macon
And now Gov Kemp (aka Lurch), on the same day, has called a legislative session for redrawing both maps, set for November 29.
Much of the commentary focuses on how the Republican majority may simply do a sleight of hand and redraw Lucy McBath’s district to be majority-Black instead of redrawing a district west of Atlanta. If so, it’s back to court.
I’m also interested in the state house map ordered by the judge, which would likely create a majority-Black district in Warner Robins/northern Houston County for the first time. House Districts 142, 143, 145, 147 and 149, all ordered to be redrawn, cover Crawford, Wilkinson, Twiggs, Bleckley, central and southern Macon-Bibb, northern half of Peach, northern and central Houston and northern and central Dodge counties.
As someone who was raised in Warner Robins, I’ve wanted to see Warner Robins get an urban state house district for years. But then again, I’ve waited for someone to bring a VRA complaint over the fact that Houston County elects all members of its county commission at-large using FPTP.
