Georgia Republicans prepare for redistricting redo
State declines to seek delay as Burns offers insight into planned mapmaking session
Georgia Republicans say that they will not try to stall the upcoming redistricting special session, clearing the way for state lawmakers to return to Atlanta later this month to draw new political maps.
They say that they still plan to appeal.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp last week quickly signed a proclamation calling lawmakers back to the Gold Dome after U.S. District Judge Steve Jones issued a massive 516-page ruling striking down the state’s congressional and state legislative maps.
Judge Jones sided with claims from civil rights groups that the current district lines, which were approved in 2021, were drawn at the expense of African-American voters. He is ordering lawmakers to draw new maps that include more majority-Black districts, particularly in areas south and west of Atlanta.
State officials indicated Wednesday that they have no plans to immediately seek a stay of Jones’ ruling. A stay would block the ruling and delay the special session while the appeals process plays out in higher courts. In other words, the November 29 special session remains on the calendar, at least for now.
State House Speaker Jon Burns is giving us early insight into the planned mapmaking session, and the powerful Republican is striking a vastly different tone than our neighbors in Alabama, who refused to follow the court’s instructions after being ordered to redraw their congressional map to include an additional majority-Black district.
Instead, Speaker Burns expressed respect for Judge Jones, calling the Obama appointee a “fine jurist” and saying that he and his Republican colleagues “certainly respect [Jones’] opinion.”
“But we also have an opinion as well,” the Speaker added.
He then said the House will work to do what they can to meet Jones’ order. “We’re certainly going to consider lots of different viewpoints and opinions as it comes to redistricting,” he said.
But Burns is publicly addressing a private concern among his colleagues that we alluded to in September:
“Republicans and even some Democrats would certainly prefer it if Judge Jones gave the legislature the chance to draw new maps. Because if he refers the matter to an outside party — or a special master, it is unlikely that they will adhere to the legislature’s residency requirements, which could put several incumbents at risk.”
Democrats are not expected to gain control of the legislature as a result of the ruling, but they are encouraged that the Republican majority is moving forward with the special session.
“Going ahead with a special session will send a signal to Judge Jones that the General Assembly is taking his order seriously,” says state Rep. Teri Anulewicz, who added that she is not surprised that the ruling is being appealed.
“I believe everyone involved would prefer to avoid the possibility of a special master,” the Cobb County Democrat concluded.