Members of the Athens legislative delegation are on the eve of a return to Atlanta: Georgia lawmakers will begin a special legislative session tomorrow, expecting to take about a week to comply with a federal judge’s order to redraw the state’s legislative and congressional district lines.
From WSB…
The Georgia Senate released Monday its proposed maps for new voting districts two days before a special session is expected to convene at the Georgia State Capitol.
The Georgia General Assembly originally approved a set of maps back in 2021 that shifted the Republican edge from 8-6 to 9-5. A series of lawsuits filed against the state of Georgia argued that the redrawn maps illegally discriminate against minorities.
In October, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled that Georgia’s redrawn maps from 2021 did violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Jones ordered the state to draw two new Black-majority for the Georgia state Senate and five new Black-majority districts for the Georgia state House.
Jones gave the Georgia General Assembly a deadline of Dec. 8 to redraw the maps again. Gov. Brian Kemp issued a proclamation calling for a special session of the Georgia General Assembly on Nov. 29 to revisit laws relating to the state’s districts.
The Georgia Senate was the first chamber to release its maps. The Georgia House is expected to release its maps sometime this week.
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