The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an effort to block the state’s new congressional map, passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In a 6-1 ruling, the court declined a bid from several groups attempting to temporarily halt the new map and use the current congressional districts for the 2026 midterm elections.

The Hill has more:

Florida’s currently congressional delegation has a 20-8 edge favoring the GOP, but the new map could offer Republicans as much as a 24-4 advantage.

A Florida judge last month rejected an effort to temporarily block the use of Republicans’ preferred map, a decision that was later appealed. The Florida Supreme Court’s majority argued on Wednesday it was not in their jurisdiction to weigh in while an appellate court weighed that appeal.

“Here Petitioners ask us to intervene in the First District Court of Appeal’s ongoing consideration of an appeal of an order declining to grant a temporary injunction,” the court wrote.

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“At this time, we do not have jurisdiction over that matter, and we do not simply assume that the First District’s decision will provide an appropriate basis for this Court’s review,” the ruling read, according to CBS News.

According to the outlet, Justice Jorge Labarga wrote a dissent arguing that the court did have jurisdiction and that the First District Court of Appeal should have expedited review by the Florida Supreme Court.

“The Florida Supreme Court just stopped Marc Elias’ attempted takeover of Florida’s congressional map and denied his request to hear the case. COMPLETE AND TOTAL VICTORY,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier commented.

CBS News shared further:

The qualifying deadline for U.S. House candidates ends Friday at noon, leaving no time for the courts to rule on the merits of the case before the elections are locked in place.

“Had the district court invoked pass-through jurisdiction here, doing so would have established an independent basis for this Court’s jurisdiction in this matter,” Labarga wrote. “Unfortunately, for now, and with a filing deadline and an election fast approaching, we will not have the opportunity to review the issues of statewide importance raised in the petitioners’ efforts to enjoin Florida’s 2026 congressional map.”

Labarga is the lone liberal left on the court, after Gov. Ron DeSantis was able to remake the bench, installing a 6-1 conservative majority after a slew of required retirements due to constitutional age limits.

DeSantis pushed for a redrawn congressional map of Florida’s 28 districts after President Donald Trump urged Republican-controlled states to pass new maps favoring the GOP ahead of the midterm elections.

 

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