Georgia must redraw maps to give Black voters fair shot, federal judge rules

A woman checks redistricting maps in Rome, Georgia, in January 2022. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Georgia Republicans must redraw congressional and state legislative maps to give Black voters in the state a fair shot at electing the candidate of their choice, a federal judge ruled on Thursday in a decision that could result in an additional Democratic seat in Congress.

When Georgia Republicans drew the state’s 14 congressional districts last year, they placed the lines in such a way that they weakened the influence of Black voters in the west metro-Atlanta area, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Judge Steve Jones ruled on Thursday.