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A judge in Leon County issued an order on a rare mid-decade congressional district map that became law ahead of the 2026 General Election.According to court documents, on Tuesday Judge Joshua Hawkes ruled in favor of Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and denied Equal Ground Florida’s request to temporarily block the map from being used.Hawkes noted at the end of his eight-page ruling that the primary election is less than three months away and the general election is less than six months.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News“The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps,” Hawkes wrote.The plaintiffs, Equal Ground Florida, sued Florida Secretary of State, the Florida House and Florida Senate on May 4, claiming that the congressional district map signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier on May 4 was intentionally drawn to favor Republicans, and violated the state constitution.Florida argued that a combination of accounting for the change in state population since the 2020 U.S. Census, and the U.S. Supreme Court April 29 decision on Louisiana v. Callais, which ruled that race cannot be the predominate metric used in drawing congressional districts, was factors in creating the congressional district map.“We will continue our fight to protect the will of Floridians who overwhelmingly voted to ban partisan gerrymandering in this state,” said Common Cause’s Florida Executive Director Amy Keith in a statement. “Because Floridians of all political backgrounds are so clearly against partisan gerrymandering, we will exhaust all legal options to make sure a map this partisan does not last the rest of this decade.”Common Cause said the plaintiffs will appeal the judge’s decision.“Let’s Roll,” Gov. DeSantis, a Republican, posted on social media Tuesday afternoon after the ruling was released by the court.“Once again, we beat Marc Elias,” Florida Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier said on a social media post. “Florida’s new congressional district maps stand.”Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power issued the following statement:“Gone are the days of snake-shaped districts. Florida’s maps are drawn fairly and reflect the makeup of our state.The truth is, Republicans hold a more than 1.5 million voter registration advantage in Florida, and our representation should reflect today’s Florida — not outdated, court-driven maps of the past.We thank Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for their leadership in fighting for fair representation for Florida voters.”Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.The map will give Republicans the advantage in 24 congressional districts, while the Democrats will have the advantage in four congressional districts. Under the previous map, Democrats held the advantage in eight congressional districts, while the GOP was favored in 20 congressional districts.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A judge in Leon County issued an order on a rare mid-decade congressional district map that became law ahead of the 2026 General Election.
According to court documents, on Tuesday Judge Joshua Hawkes ruled in favor of Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and denied Equal Ground Florida’s request to temporarily block the map from being used.
Hawkes noted at the end of his eight-page ruling that the primary election is less than three months away and the general election is less than six months.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
“The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps,” Hawkes wrote.
The plaintiffs, Equal Ground Florida, sued Florida Secretary of State, the Florida House and Florida Senate on May 4, claiming that the congressional district map signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier on May 4 was intentionally drawn to favor Republicans, and violated the state constitution.
Florida argued that a combination of accounting for the change in state population since the 2020 U.S. Census, and the U.S. Supreme Court April 29 decision on Louisiana v. Callais, which ruled that race cannot be the predominate metric used in drawing congressional districts, was factors in creating the congressional district map.
“We will continue our fight to protect the will of Floridians who overwhelmingly voted to ban partisan gerrymandering in this state,” said Common Cause’s Florida Executive Director Amy Keith in a statement. “Because Floridians of all political backgrounds are so clearly against partisan gerrymandering, we will exhaust all legal options to make sure a map this partisan does not last the rest of this decade.”
Common Cause said the plaintiffs will appeal the judge’s decision.
“Let’s Roll,” Gov. DeSantis, a Republican, posted on social media Tuesday afternoon after the ruling was released by the court.
“Once again, we beat Marc Elias,” Florida Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier said on a social media post. “Florida’s new congressional district maps stand.”
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power issued the following statement:
“Gone are the days of snake-shaped districts. Florida’s maps are drawn fairly and reflect the makeup of our state.
The truth is, Republicans hold a more than 1.5 million voter registration advantage in Florida, and our representation should reflect today’s Florida — not outdated, court-driven maps of the past.
We thank Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for their leadership in fighting for fair representation for Florida voters.”
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
The map will give Republicans the advantage in 24 congressional districts, while the Democrats will have the advantage in four congressional districts.
Under the previous map, Democrats held the advantage in eight congressional districts, while the GOP was favored in 20 congressional districts.
