DeSantis Motivated by Race; Judge Keeps District Anyway

Governor DeSantisPhoto byPublic Use

Governor DeSantis won the right to keep his redistricting plan following an Federal Court decision.

Jordan, a judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, wrote that “the evidence presented at trial convinces me that the governor did, in fact, act with race as a motivating factor.”

He added:

“I do not think that Governor DeSantis harbors personal racial animus toward Black voters,” Jordan wrote. “But I do believe that he used race impermissibly as a means to achieve ends (including partisan advantage) that he cannot admit to.”

The Florida legislature, however, was not found to have any racially descriminatory purpose, according to the decision, that they were not responsible for an individual's motivations. The judges were split on whether DeSantis was motivated by race. The redistricting resulted in a white Republican replacing a black Democrat. The North Florida district, Congressional District 5, in the past elected Black Democrat Al Lawson.

A further appeal with the Florida Supreme Court is anticipated, however, the district will not change for the forthcoming election.