A special session in Georgia to redraw congressional and legislative voting district maps is expected to conclude on Thursday, as a Republican-favored congressional map that specifically targets Democratic U.S. Representative Lucy McBath’s current district has been advanced by a House committee. However, this is unlikely to be the end of the matter, as those who initiated the challenges that overturned the existing maps are expected to argue in court that Georgia’s Republican-controlled General Assembly has violated a federal court order to produce new maps.
The House Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee voted 9-4 on Wednesday, with minimal debate, to send the congressional map to the full House for a vote. The plan, which already passed the state Senate with a 33-22 majority on Tuesday, aims to completely reconfigure a suburban Atlanta district currently represented by McBath. Lawmakers were called into a special session following U.S. District Judge Steve Jones’ ruling in October that Georgia’s congressional, state Senate, and state House maps unlawfully dilute Black voting power. Judge Jones mandated the creation of additional majority-Black districts, including one congressional district, two state Senate districts, and five state House districts. Specifically, Jones instructed lawmakers to establish the new congressional district on the western side of metro Atlanta.
Republicans have already given final approval to a new state Senate map that is expected to maintain the party’s current majority of 33-23 in that chamber. They have also approved a new House map that may reduce the GOP majority by one or two seats from the current 102-78 margin. Georgia House and Reapportionment Redistricting Committee Chairman Rob Leverett, a Republican, expressed optimism that the plans meet Judge Jones’ requirements for drawing more majority-Black districts. However, Democrats argue that Republicans are not fulfilling Jones’ intentions.
The proposed GOP congressional map introduces a new majority-Black district in parts of Fulton, Douglas, Cobb, and Fayette counties on the west side of Atlanta. Instead of targeting a Republican representative, it shifts McBath’s current district into a district tailored for Republican Representative Rich McCormick, spanning from Atlanta’s northern suburbs to its heavily Republican northern mountains. This marks the second time in two years that Republicans have specifically targeted McBath, who is known for her advocacy on gun control. McBath, who is Black, initially won election in a majority-white district in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. In 2021, Georgia Republicans altered the boundaries of that district, once represented by Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to include more Republican-leaning areas. Simultaneously, they made another district more favorable for Democrats, leading McBath to run and defeat Democratic incumbent Carolyn Bordeaux in the 2022 primary.
Judge Jones is expected to provide a decision on whether he will accept the Republican plans soon. Recognizing the urgency of the matter, he has scheduled a hearing for December 20 to evaluate the legislative maps. If Jones rejects any or all of the proposed maps, he may appoint a special master to draw new maps on behalf of the court.
