Coming on the heels of the Florida Supreme Court’s landmark July 9 decision that ruled eight Congressional districts unlawful, Goodman said: “We salute the Senate’s decision to admit wrongdoing and to have the districts honestly and openly redrawn in time for the 2016 elections”.
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He made his comments after a brief hearing in front of Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis, who will consider arguments after the special session about whether the Legislature’s new draft of congressional districts complies with the Supreme Court’s order.
The League of Women Voters challenged the state Senate maps that were drawn in 2012. The League and the progressive nonprofit Common Cause filed suit in 2012 after being, shall we say, underwhelmed at the level of attention the Senate paid to a 2010 voter mandate requiring lawmakers to draw congressional and state senate districts contiguously and in a manner that doesn’t intentionally favor one political party (Republicans, obvs) over another, or incumbents, thereby ensuring control for Republicans.
The legislative leaders said that ruling would have implications on a lawsuit challenging Senate maps. One of the most dramatic shifts is likely to be switching the district of Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown from a north-south configuration that runs from Jacksonville to Orlando to an east-west arrangement that runs from Jacksonville to Tallahassee.
The base map will then be the subject of open debate and amendments during the special session while lawmakers configure the final Senate plan.
After the hearing, attorneys for the Legislature and the opponents of the maps, led by the League of Women Voters of Florida, met behind closed doors. The special session will begin October 19 and end November. 6. Lawmakers have spent more than $6.7 million since July 2009 on the redistricting process — either preparing for, drawing or defending the maps for the House, Senate and the state’s congressional delegation.
Of the redistricting plans produced in 2012, only the House map has gone unchallenged. “The House was not involved in drawing the Senate map, nor did the House amend the Senate map prior to its enactment”.
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The Senate took full responsibility for violating the constitution, saying in a court filing that the House had no input on the Senate districts.
