Appeal Filed After Court Rules Against Florida Voters Regarding Illegal Gerrymander
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On May 26, 2026, in a disappointing ruling for Florida voters, the court permitted an illegal, partisan gerrymandered map to be in place for the 2026 congressional primary and midterm elections. Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and the UCLA Voting Rights Project (VRP) — on behalf of individual Florida voters — sued earlier this month to block this map because it is in direct violation of Florida’s voter-approved Fair Districts Amendment. CLC and VRP have already appealed the decision to the First District Court of Appeals to continue defending Floridians’ right to fair representation.
“Today’s ruling is a loss for Floridians and runs completely counter to the state constitution, which explicitly prohibits crafting maps for partisan gain,” said Simone Leeper, senior legal counsel for redistricting at Campaign Legal Center. “More than a decade ago, Florida voters passed the Fair Districts Amendment to make clear to their elected officials that intentional partisan gerrymandering is an unacceptable practice. The disputed map is unmistakably an extreme partisan gerrymander. We will continue to defend the constitutional rights of Floridians to ensure fair representation in the 2026 elections and beyond.”
“The decision by the court goes against the voluminous amount of evidence presented by the voters and runs in stark contrast to the law outlined in the Florida state constitution,” said Bernadette Reyes, senior staff attorney with the UCLA Voting Rights Project. “We will continue to work towards the enactment of a fair and legal map for Florida’s 2026 elections.”
The hastily drawn map was passed after an unprecedented special session in April 2026 with no opportunities for public input before or during the map-drawing process. The map blatantly violates the Florida Constitution’s Fair Districts Amendment, which explicitly prohibits crafting maps to “favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.” In addition to the obvious partisan intent, the map also violates a requirement to utilize political and geographic boundaries.
More information about the case is here.
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