Judge Approves New Georgia Congressional Map, Maintaining Republican 9-5 Edge for 2024 Election

A federal judge in Georgia has approved a new congressional map redrawn by the state’s GOP-led legislature, which was found to have violated federal voting rights law. The new map maintains Republicans’ 9-5 edge for its congressional delegation and will be used in the 2024 election.

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, in three separate but similarly worded orders, accepted the new Georgia congressional and legislative voting districts that protect Republican partisan advantages. He found that the creation of new majority-Black voting districts fixed illegal minority vote dilution that led him to order maps be redrawn.

The maps were redrawn in a recent special legislative session after Jones in October ruled that a prior set of maps illegally harmed Black voters. Jones also approved new legislative maps for state Senate and House districts, which he found were originally crafted in a racially discriminatory manner.

The new map creates a majority-Black congressional district in the western part of metro Atlanta. Jones rejected claims that the new maps didn’t do enough to help Black voters.

The approval of the new map is a major victory for Republicans in the state, who will now maintain their 9-5 edge in the congressional delegation. The new map will be used in the 2024 election.