Redistricting for congressional seats typically takes place prior to the first congressional elections held after a census is conducted, but the congressional maps in some states are still in limbo ahead of the second congressional elections based on the current census data.
Three states have had recent developments in legal battles over how congressional districts will look for the 2024 election, with one state having its map for the election solidified. Here is a look at the redistricting situations in Florida, Ohio, and Alabama.
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Florida
The congressional map in the Sunshine State is currently in legal limbo after a circuit judge ruled last week that the current map, which was enacted in 2022, was unconstitutional.
Judge J. Lee Marsh ruled that the state had violated the Fair District Amendment in the Florida Constitution, which says congressional maps may not be drawn in a way that would “diminish” the ability for minority voters to elect a representative of their choice.
“By dismantling a congressional district that enabled Black voters to elect their candidates of choice under the previous plan, the Enacted Plan violates Article III, Section 20(a) of the Florida Constitution,” Marsh wrote in the decision.
The state has said it plans to appeal the ruling, which calls for a new map to be created, to the Florida Supreme Court.
The current congressional delegation from the Sunshine State is made up of 20 Republicans and eight Democrats. If a map is created under the ruling by the circuit judge, it would likely result in Democrats picking up a seat from the GOP.
Ohio
The congressional map used in 2022 in Ohio will remain in place for the 2024 elections after a challenge to their legality was dismissed by the Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday.
The map had been in legal limbo since it was struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court under a previous chief justice last year. The ruling was subsequently remanded by the U.S. Supreme Court in June and sent back to the Ohio Supreme Court, which dismissed the case.
Petitioners had requested the case be dismissed under concerns the current map would be replaced by a map that was more favorable to Republicans. Because of the dismissal of the current legal challenges, the current map will remain in place for at least the next election.
The current congressional map in Ohio has 10 districts represented by Republicans and five represented by Democrats. Two of the Democrats in the Ohio congressional delegation represent districts with a Republican advantage, according to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voting Index.
Alabama
In Alabama, a federal district court struck down a proposed congressional map for the state, arguing the new map “plainly fails” to adhere to the Supreme Court’s ruling in June that a second majority-black district be made in the state.
“We do not take lightly federal intrusion into a process ordinarily reserved for the State Legislature. But we have now said twice that this Voting Rights Act case is not close. And we are deeply troubled that the State enacted a map that the State readily admits does not provide the remedy we said federal law requires,” the decision reads.
The previous map in the state, used in the 2022 election, was ruled as violating the Voting Rights Act by the high court earlier this year, after only having one majority-black district.
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Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen filed an appeal to the federal district court’s ruling to the Supreme Court and filed a motion to stay the ruling pending appeal.
The Yellowhammer State currently has a congressional delegation of six Republicans and one Democrat. The creation of a second majority-black congressional district in Alabama would likely flip one of the seats from GOP to Democratic, as black voters traditionally vote overwhelmingly for the party.
