“In Georgia, you have half a million new Black voters since the last census. Regardless of a judge’s order, people still have the power of their vote.” Andrea Young, Executive Director, ACLU of Georgia.
On December, 28, 2023, a federal court declined to strike down the State Senate and State House maps enacted by the Georgia General Assembly on December 8, 2023, which had been redrawn following an earlier decision by that court finding prior maps unlawful. The decision followed a hearing held on December 20, 2023, when the Court heard from counsel for plaintiffs about their objections to the maps.
The court concluded that the General Assembly had “complied with this Court’s order requiring the creation of Black-majority districts in the regions of the State where vote dilution was found."
Rahul Garabadu, senior voting rights staff attorney at the ACLU of Georgia said “We are disappointed that the court allowed the General Assembly’s remedial state legislative maps to be used in the 2024 election cycle. As we recently noted in court, we believe that these maps continue to violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and dilute the voting strength of Black voters. But no matter what, our fight to ensure fair voting practices in Georgia will continue.”
“Georgia’s new Senate and House district lines still dilute Black voting power. They don’t provide a complete fix for the injuries to Black voters that we proved in court. Federal law requires an end to vote dilution everywhere and a real change for injured voters, not reshuffling the same deck,” said Ari Savitzky, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Voting Rights Project. “We are evaluating all of our options and will continue to hold the General Assembly accountable until Georgia voters get the maps they deserve.”
Judge rules against civil rights groups in Georgia redistricting appeal
Reaction to judge’s approval of Georgia’s redistricting
Federal judge upholds Georgia’s Republican redistricting plan
‘The Court finds that the General Assembly complied:’ Georgia redistricting new maps approved
