New Legislative Districts Head to Florida Supreme Court
"We can and should be very proud of the work we've done here today," Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, said. "And now we'll see if the courts are equally as proud."
February 04, 2022 at 09:40 AM
3 minute read
State and Local GovernmentNew legislative lines in the once-a-decade redistricting process are headed to the Florida Supreme Court, while a new congressional map remains on hold.
The Senate voted unanimously Thursday to approve a plan (SJR 100) that sets new boundaries for the 40 Senate seats and 120 state House seats.
"We can and should be very proud of the work we've done here today," Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, said. "And now we'll see if the courts are equally as proud."
Attorney General Ashley Moody has 15 days to file a petition with the Supreme Court seeking a ruling on the validity of the redrawn legislative districts. The court will have 30 days to issue an order, with opponents and the supporters of the maps able to file briefs.
The Senate last month voted 34-3 to approve the new Senate lines. The House voted 77-39 on Wednesday to approve a combined bill that included the Senate lines and a House map. That set up Thursday's mostly procedural vote in which the Senate signed off on the combined bill.
Opponents have raised concerns that Florida's growing minority populations haven't been adequately addressed in the district changes, which likely will maintain Republican control of the Legislature into the 2030s.
The maps could lead to Republican control of the Senate slipping by one seat and the House by seven seats, based on voting patterns in the 2020 election.
Opponents pointed to the House map maintaining 18 protected Black districts and 12 protected Hispanic districts, while the Senate kept the number of Hispanic districts at four. They contended that did not match up with growing minority populations.
Democrats in both chambers have said they expect the maps to be challenged regardless of the findings of the state Supreme Court.
While the legislative maps moved forward Thursday, work on the congressional map has paused.
Gov. Ron DeSantis this week asked the Supreme Court for an advisory opinion about his effort to revamp what is now Congressional District 5, which sprawls from Jacksonville to west of Tallahassee. The court set a noon Monday deadline for "interested persons" to submit briefs.
The district is held by Congressman Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, and was designed to help with minority representation.
The Senate has approved a proposed congressional map that would follow the same general design of the current District 5. The House has not produced a congressional map, but House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said Wednesday that DeSantis' request was "appropriate."
The new legislative and congressional districts need to be in place before qualifying for this year's elections begins June 13.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllMorgan & Morgan Sues Law Firm, Managing Partner for Violating Settlement Over Misleading Ads
3 minute readJudge Gives Green Light to Bal Harbour Developer in Legal Dispute
11th Circuit Rejects Private School's Religious Rights Claim When Stopped From Broadcasting Public Prayer
Trending Stories
- 1The Law Firm Disrupted: Playing the Talent Game to Win
- 2GlaxoSmithKline Settles Most Zantac Lawsuits for $2.2B
- 3BD Settles Thousands of Bard Hernia Mesh Lawsuits
- 4Preparing Your Law Firm for 2025: Smart Ways to Embrace AI & Other Technologies
- 5Inside Track: Late-Career In-House Leaders Offer Words to Live by
Who Got The Work
Eleanor M. Lackman of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp has entered an appearance for Canon, the Japanese camera maker, and the Brooklyn Nets in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The case, filed Sept. 16 in California Central District Court by T-Rex Law on behalf of technology company Phinge Corporation, pursues claims against the defendants for their ongoing use of the 'Netaverse' mark. The suit contends that the defendants' use of the mark in connection with a virtual reality platform will likely create consumer confusion. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall, is 2:24-cv-07917, Phinge Corporation v. Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, LLC et al.
Who Got The Work
Fox Rothschild partner Glenn S. Grindlinger has entered an appearance for Garage Management Company in a pending lawsuit over alleged wage-and-hour violations. The case was filed Aug. 31 in New York Southern District Court by the Abdul Hassan Law Group on behalf of a manual worker who contends that he was not properly compensated for overtime hours worked. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres, is 1:24-cv-06610, Bailey v. Garage Management Company LLC.
Who Got The Work
Veronica M. Keithley of Stoel Rives has entered an appearance for Husky Terminal and Stevedoring LLC in a pending environmental lawsuit. The suit, filed Aug. 12 in Washington Western District Court by Kampmeier & Knutsen on behalf of Communities for a Healthy Bay, seeks to declare that the defendant has violated the Clean Water Act by releasing stormwater discharges on Puget Sound and Commencement Bay. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle, is 3:24-cv-05662, Communities for a Healthy Bay v. Husky Terminal and Stevedoring LLC.
Who Got The Work
Caroline Pignatelli of Cooley has entered an appearance for Cooley, partner Matt Hallinan, retired partner Michael Tu and a pair of Cooley associates in a pending fraud lawsuit related to the firm's representation of startup company Carbon IQ and founder Benjamin Cantey. The case, filed Sept. 26 in New Jersey District Court by the DalCortivo Law Offices on behalf of Gould Ventures and member Jason Gould, contends that the defendants deliberately or recklessly concealed critical information from the plaintiffs regarding fraud allegations against Cantey. Gould claims that he would not have accepted a position on Carbon IQ's board of directors or made a 2022 investment in the company if the fraud allegations had been disclosed. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch, is 3:24-cv-09485, Gould Ventures, LLC et al v. Cooley, LLP et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom have stepped in to represent PDD Holdings, the operator of online marketplaces Pinduoduo and Temu, in a pending securities class action. The case, filed Sept. 30 in New York Eastern District Court by Labaton Keller Sucharow and VanOverbeke, Michaud & Timmony, contends that the defendants concealed information that rendered the growth of PDD unsustainable and posed substantial risks to PDD’s business, including merchant policies that made it unprofitable for vendors to do business on PDD platforms; malware issues on PDD applications; and PDD’s failure to implement effective compliance systems. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen, is 1:24-cv-06881, Macomb County Retiree Health Care Fund v. Pdd Holdings Inc. et al.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250