Districts Drawn by Voting-Rights Groups Go to Supreme Court
By Brandon Larrabee, News Service of Florida
It is not clear how much the new lines could shift the political balance of Florida's congressional delegation, which currently has 17 Republicans and 10 Democrats. A seat being vacated by Republican Congressman David Jolly, who is running for U.S. Senate, and one held by Republican Congressman Daniel Webster are likely to fall into Democratic hands. Curbelo's re-election bid will also likely be more difficult; President Barack Obama carried the proposed district by almost 11 points in 2012.
At the same time, Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham's North Florida district would become far more Republican. While Ros-Lehtinen's seat favors Democrats, she has wide crossover appeal and isn't seen as endangered.
In response to the ruling, state House Speaker Steve Crisafulli noted that Lewis said the base map was a better plan than either of the proposals put forward by the Senate. But Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, also made it clear that his chamber would continue the legal fight.
"This recommended order is not final," he wrote to members in a memo. "The next step in this process is a review by the Florida Supreme Court."
The Supreme Court issued a schedule late Friday that called for the House and Senate to file briefs by Oct. 16. King's clients and a group of voters who also sued to overturn the 2012 map were given another week to respond. Justices haven't decided yet whether to hear oral arguments in the case.
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, pivoted to a special session, scheduled to begin Oct. 19, aimed at redrawing Senate districts. The Legislature settled a Senate case with the same groups that challenged the congressional maps after the Supreme Court's July ruling.
"Today's order highlights the importance of a joint legislative work product," Gardiner said.
House Redistricting Chairma n Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, was more overtly critical on Twitter. "Court's ruling declares different standard of intent for the legislature than they do themselves. Justice depends on consistent standards," he wrote.
Some members of Congress were also critical. Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown continued to insist that her proposed district, which would run from Jacksonville in the east to Gadsden County in the west, would not vote for an African-American Democrat. Obama carried the district by more than 28 percentage points in 2012.
Brown has consistently pushed for her district to retain its north-south configuration, even though the Supreme Court ruled against that arrangement in July and none of the parties before Lewis contested the new shape of her seat.
"The newly drawn, partisan map is a blatant attempt by the plaintiffs and Florida State Supreme Court to disenfranchise minority voters in Congressional District 5. ... Indeed, the proposed congressional maps will bring about minority vote dilution and hamper the ability of Congressional District 5's minority residents to elect a candidate of their choice, since the base map entirely dilutes and disperses minority communities," Brown said in a lengthy statement.
Brown has launched a legal challenge against the redrawing of the map, but that case has been put on hold to allow the state judicial process to play out.
Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson also blasted the new map for removing PortMiami, the Jackson medical system complex and the Brickell financial district from her Miami-Dade County territory. Wilson said the changes would make it more difficult for elected officials to focus on economic growth because they would have to deal with the problems created by poverty.
"Isolating poor people behind district lines is as much a violation of the spirit of the Voting Rights Act as intentionally separating races for voting purposes to give one party a political advantage," Wilson said.