A federal judge on Thursday approved a GOP-drawn Georgia congressional map in a win for Republicans.
US District Judge Steve Jones, an Obama appointee on Thursday said the GOP-led General Assembly “fully complied” with his previous order which required a majority-black congressional district in a part of Atlanta.
CBS News reported that the approved congressional map still “maintains Republicans’ 9-5 edge for its congressional delegation.”
“The new congressional map finalized ahead of Jones’ deadline preserved Republicans’ majority for its congressional delegation and drastically altered the district represented by Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath, the 7th Congressional District. Lawmakers drew a new majority-Black district west of metro Atlanta, located in portions of Cobb, Douglas and Fulton Counties.” the outlet reported.
CBS News reported:
A federal judge in Georgia on Thursday approved a congressional map redrawn by the state’s GOP-led legislature after its original voting lines were found to be crafted in violation of federal voting rights law.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones said in a 15-page order that the General Assembly “fully complied” with his October order that required the creation of a majority-Black congressional district in the western part of metro Atlanta. His acceptance of the new map, which maintains Republicans’ 9-5 edge for its congressional delegation, sets up the new bounds to be used in the 2024 election.
Jones also approved new legislative maps for state Senate and House districts, which he found were originally crafted in a racially discriminatory manner. The judge said in his earlier order that state lawmakers had to redraw two new Black-majority districts in Georgia’s state Senate and five new Black-majority districts in its state House.