Judge Layne Smith announces he’ll block DeSantis’ redistricting plan

AP News ^ | May 11, 2022 | Brendan Farrington

[Republicans 2016 2020]

A congressional map approved by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and drawn by his staff is unconstitutional because it breaks up a district where Black voters can choose their representatives, a state judge said Wednesday. Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith said he would issue a formal order Thursday or Friday to keep the maps from taking effect in November’s election.

[clintonh8r]

Premably the governor anticipated this and has a plsn.

[Timmy]

I thought Florida supreme court had already approved. How can a county judge block it?

[DoughtyOne]

Finding one district that is a problem, is probably more
common than we might think.

An adjustment there, and things should be fine.

[Skywise]

So does that mean any Democrat redistricting plan that breaks up white voting blocks is now illegal too?

Or do laws and rights no longer apply to white people?

[FlingWingFlyer]

Isn’t this commie bass turd supposed to be in his courtroom before he starts making his goofy, commie ass decisions. He needs to be removed from the bench. The bass turd is playing politics with his judicial powah.

[Joe Brower]

Where would the political left be without their activist judges?

Florida Freeper

I'm compiling a list of FReepers interested in Florida-related topics.
If you want to be added, please FReepMail me.

[apillar]

No real surprise, it was always going to end up in the Florida Supreme Court, by one side or the other, anything before then is just theater.

[Boogieman]

Remember when gerrymandering to create racial quota districts was unconstitutional?

Pepperidge Farm remembers...

[Macoozie]

“breaks up a district where Black voters can choose their representatives,”

What is that, a Plantation?

This shiite has to end.

Folks get to choose their rep by voting.
Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose.

I haven’t had a winning vote for my Congress Critter for years. One of the reasons I finally decided to move.

[lurk]

That legal reasoning can’t stand.

[BushCountry]

“Finding one district that is a problem, is probably more
common than we might think.”

The whole premise that blacks are monolithic and only vote Democrat now and in the future is racist. I am surprised that no one challenge the idea.

It’s voting by segregation. Districts look like long complicated puzzle pieces based on skin color.

And yes I know the reality is blacks vote monolithically for the most part, but this might be because they are segregated and only hear one point of view (radical).

But I don’t think courts should be putting blacks in a box and voting category.

[Dr. Sivana]

An adjustment there, and things should be fine.

Yup. Sometimes, the black incumbent rep will be happy with the Republicans making the district 90+ % black, locking in the incumbent. All those voters have to go somewhere, and better they be in one district with one rep than spread over four districts affecting four races in 50-50 districts.

[DoughtyOne]

I don’t either. Good point.

I doubt we’re in the majority of thought on that, but it
doesn’t change the truth of it.

[PermaRag]

One liberal pissant county judge was all it took to derail the Republican redistricting plan in Kansas:

From the left-wing site fivethirtyeight.com:

"On April 25, a county judge struck down Kansas’s Republican-passed congressional map, ruling that it dilutes the votes of both Democrats and nonwhite Kansans. The attorney general is appealing the decision to the Kansas Supreme Court, but the high court may not be inclined to overturn the decision: Five of its seven members were appointed by Democratic governors." Apparently Democrats and non-whites have special rights that Republicans and whites do not, but that some judge would believe that racist drivel should not be surprising, even in Kansas.

[Political Junkie Too]

Here is the district in question:

Florida CD-5 = Al Lawson (D-Tallahassee)

He supposedly represents Tallahassee, but his district runs all the way to Jacksonville?

-PJ

[DoughtyOne]

I understand you, but then you get folks like Mad Max(ine),
and oh what a commotion.

Your comment makes sense though.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

“””Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith said he would issue a formal order Thursday or Friday to keep the maps from taking effect in November’s election.”””

---

It seems the maps have to be in effect prior to the August Primary Election in Florida.

[Sgt_Schultze]

The US Constitution EXCLUDES everybody except the state legislature in deciding Congressional districts. Did this Florida legislature authorize a Court’s interference?

[jeffersondem]

“An adjustment there, and things should be fine.”

You can't adjust just one district. Any change will impact at least two districts; maybe more.

The problem is liberal judges, and liberals in general, don't like political gerrymandering except for one purpose: racial political gerrymandering.

And that is the worst kind of gerrymandering. Racial quotas.