Black Voters Score Major Victory in Georgia After Judge Calls Out Racist Map

Suppressing the Black vote is more or less a habit in the United States, especially down South. But, at least in some cases, we’re seeing the courts actually do something about it.

On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that parts of Georgia’s congressional districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory way. In a whopping 516-page opinion, Judge Steve Jones ordered Georgia to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district. Judge Jones also ordered legislators to draw two new Black-majority districts in Georgia’s state Senate and five new Black-majority districts in the state House.

Judge Jones isn’t messing around. He ordered Georgia’s Republican-controlled state legislature to redraw the maps by December 8th, or he would take matters into his own hands and draw it himself. Republican Governor Brian Kemp acted quickly, calling for a special session to draw the maps on November 29th. However, the Governor’s office has not ruled out appealing the ruling.

Organizers in Georgia like Stacey Abrams have led the way in fighting for voting rights for Black Americans across the country. And barring a successful appeal, the ruling means that the news maps will be in place just in time for a contentious election.

But Georgia isn’t the only state where the map is looking a whole lot better for Black voters. In Alabama and Florida, courts have moved to protect Black voters. And litigation over the watering down of the Black vote is surging throughout the country, in places like Louisiana. These cases could have major impacts on the outcome of the 2024 election since Black voters lean heavily Democratic.

These cases also represent a movement by Black voters to reclaim rights lost in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to gut the Voting Rights Act.