Florida Supreme Court rejects bid to block DeSantis redistricting push

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Florida Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a legal challenge seeking to block Gov. Ron DeSantis from pursuing a redraw of the state’s congressional districts. 

The brief ruling leaves intact plans for a special legislative session and a delayed candidate qualifying period as political maneuvering intensifies ahead of the midterm elections.

What we know:

In a two-paragraph decision issued Friday, the state’s highest court dismissed a petition filed by two Florida voters and backed by the National Redistricting Foundation. The petition sought to block DeSantis’ call for a special legislative session in April focused on redistricting and to undo a decision by Cord Byrd to move the congressional candidate qualifying week from April to June.

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Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz wrote that the actions challenged by the voters fell outside the scope of the petition. The ruling did not directly address the legality of any future redistricting map.

Justice Adam Tanenbaum, appointed in January by DeSantis, wrote separately to emphasize that the court did not consider the underlying merits of the claims and that the case should have been dismissed rather than rejected.

What we don't know:

The court’s decision does not resolve whether Florida lawmakers will ultimately redraw the state’s 28 U.S. House districts, nor does it clarify what any revised map would look like. It also leaves unanswered how a forthcoming decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in a Louisiana redistricting case could affect Florida.

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It remains unclear whether the Legislature, currently in its regular 60-day session, will take up redistricting during that term or wait for the special session called by DeSantis. Lawmakers have not yet released draft maps or formally debated new district boundaries.

The backstory:

DeSantis called a special session beginning April 20 to revisit congressional maps, timing that initially overlapped with the candidate qualifying week for federal races. Byrd later postponed that qualifying period to June, citing the potential need for new districts.

The governor has pointed to a pending case before the U.S. Supreme Court involving Louisiana, arguing that the justices could strike down portions of the Voting Rights Act that allow districts to be drawn with race as a factor to remedy past discrimination. If that happens, DeSantis contends Florida would need to adjust some of its districts.

Florida voters in 2010 approved anti-gerrymandering amendments that limit lawmakers’ ability to draw districts favoring a political party or incumbent, a provision that could complicate any overtly partisan redraw.

The backstory:

The dispute unfolds amid national pressure from Donald Trump, who has urged Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps ahead of the midterms to protect GOP control of the U.S. House.

Some states, including Texas, have moved forward with redistricting efforts, while Democratic-led California has also pursued map changes. Others, such as Indiana and Maryland, have so far resisted similar efforts.

In Florida, House Speaker Daniel Perez convened a special committee last fall to examine redistricting, but it did not produce proposals. The Legislature has yet to formally engage the issue during its current regular session.