Federal court upholds Georgia redistricting maps for May primaries

ATLANTA — A federal judge has upheld the use of Georgia’s new legislative and congressional district boundaries for this year’s elections.

A ruling handed down by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones declared the May 24 primaries are too close for the court to change the maps drawn by the General Assembly’s Republican majorities last fall.

Civil rights and voting rights groups filed lawsuits after the November special legislative session claiming the new district lines violate the federal Voting Rights Act by discriminating against minority voters.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia noted that Monday’s ruling keeps the lawsuits alive.

“Georgia voters deserve fair elections,” Sean Young, the organization’s legal director, said. “We will never stop fighting to protect the sacred and fundamental right to vote.”

But Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called the ruling a “clear victory of common sense.”

The new congressional map is expected to help Republicans gain one congressional seat in Georgia, which would give the GOP a 9-5 majority.

On the other hand, projections show Democrats stand to gain at least one seat in the state Senate this year and a half-dozen seats in the House.

However, the plaintiffs in the lawsuits argue Republican legislative leaders could have drawn at least a half-dozen additional new black-majority districts to reflect the tremendous growth in Georgia’s black population during the last decade.

Special Illustration/MDJ