Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Florida Network: Judges to decide whether DeSantis intentionally hurt Black voters with North Florida map

10.3.2023 / By John Kennedy
Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Florida Network: Judges to decide whether DeSantis intentionally hurt Black voters with North Florida map

"It is blatantly about race from Day 1," said Gregory Diskant, attorney for plaintiffs including the NAACP, Common Cause, Fair Districts Now and individual voters who want the congressional boundaries thrown out by the court. They charge that DeSantis violated the U.S. Constitution's equal protection and voting rights protections with the Republican-heavy map that has left no Black member of Congress from North Florida for the first time in 30 years. "Why did he care about this so much?" Diskant said, answering by claiming that "racial animus" was behind the governor's actions. "He did not want a Black performing district in North Florida," he added.

“It is blatantly about race from Day 1,” said Gregory Diskant, attorney for plaintiffs including the NAACP, Common Cause, Fair Districts Now and individual voters who want the congressional boundaries thrown out by the court.

They charge that DeSantis violated the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection and voting rights protections with the Republican-heavy map that has left no Black member of Congress from North Florida for the first time in 30 years.

“Why did he care about this so much?” Diskant said, answering by claiming that “racial animus” was behind the governor’s actions.

“He did not want a Black performing district in North Florida,” he added.

 

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See More: Abuse of PowerGerrymandering/RedistrictingVoting Rights