Florida's Republican Supreme Court rejects efforts to block the state's gerrymandering

All seven members of the high court were appointed to the bench by Republican governors, including Ron DeSantis

By Mitch Perry

Florida Phoenix

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recently redistricted congressional map that could net Republicans up to four additional seats this fall will remain in place after the Florida Supreme Court rejected an emergency petition to stop the map from taking effect.

The Equal Ground Education Fund had filed the petition, asking the high court to overturn the First District Court of Appeal’s decision to reject a temporary injunction. The ruling does not end the legal battle, with the underlying challenge still intact.

The Elias Law Group, on behalf of Equal Ground, originally filed the lawsuit on May 4 on behalf of 18 individual plaintiffs who live throughout the state. That was the day DeSantis signed the GOP-controlled Legislature’s map into law.

The suit contends the new map violates Florida’s 2010 Fair Districts Amendments, which prohibit drawing congressional (and state legislative) districts that favor incumbents or a political party.

Genesis Robinson, executive director of Equal Ground, issued a blistering statement.

“Let’s be clear, the Florida Supreme Court’s failure to stop this brazen partisan power grab is not only an assault on democracy, but an abdication of its duty to the people of Florida,” he said. “Courts are meant to serve as a check on government overreach and a safeguard against constitutional violations, but, once again, when Floridians needed that protection most, the Court declined to intervene.”

“The Florida Supreme Court just stopped Marc Elias’ attempted takeover of Florida’s congressional map and denied his request to hear the case. COMPLETE AND TOTAL VICTORY,” wrote Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in a social media post.

Elias is one of the country’s most prominent election attorneys working for Democrats nationwide. The Elias Law Group is litigating the case on behalf of Equal Ground.

Florida Republicans control 20 of the state’s 28 congressional seats. The deadline for candidates to qualify to run for Congress in Florida is today at noon.

Mitch Perry has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. He is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing, and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:

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Trump Derangement Watch

From The Independent

President Donald Trump spent nearly a full hour earlier this week ranting about the new-look Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, trashing Democrats as “Dumocrats” and downplaying the sky-high inflation that his war against Iran has caused before nearly forgetting to do the one thing he’d brought reporters into the Oval Office to see.

As White House aides attempted to usher the White House press pool from the room after Trump ended the event by thanking reporters, he was reminded that he had not put pen to paper on the immigration and border funding package he’d meant to sign as top GOP congressional leaders looked on.

But when someone pointed out that he hadn’t actually signed the bill — at the signing ceremony in the Oval Office — he quickly pivoted to attacking his predecessor’s use of an autopen as he took out his bespoke Sharpie and inked a signature on the page.

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