Court now weighs whether Florida’s redistricting plan unlawfully packed Black voters, diluting their power
TAMPA, FL - Yesterday, a four-day federal trial concluded in Nord Hodges v. Albritton, a racial gerrymandering case challenging Florida’s Senate District 16. Brought by the ACLU of Florida and the Civil Rights & Racial Justice Clinic at NYU School of Law on behalf of three Black voters from Tampa and St. Petersburg, the lawsuit contends that the district was drawn in a way that unconstitutionally concentrates Black voters and divides the region along racial lines.
Over the course of the trial, the plaintiffs presented evidence that the Legislature used race as the predominant factor when it crossed Tampa Bay to combine geographically distant Black communities into a single district. They argue that this decision violated the U.S. Constitution — especially given that alternative maps existed that preserved Black voters’ ability to elect candidates of choice without resorting to racial packing.
“This trial laid bare what many communities have long felt — that Florida’s mapmakers chose politics over fairness,” said Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “Now it’s up to the court to affirm that the Constitution does not permit racial shortcuts that weaken the voices of Black voters.”
“The record is clear: race, not traditional districting criteria, drove how this map was drawn,” said Caroline McNamara, staff attorney with the ACLU of Florida. “We presented the court with a stark choice — uphold a flawed district that dilutes power, or follow the law and ensure fair representation in Tampa Bay.”
“This trial was about our voice and our dignity,” said Kéto Nord Hodges, plaintiff and Tampa resident. “We came to court because we believe in democracy, and we believe that all communities — including Black communities — deserve districts that reflect who we are, not who politicians want us to be.”
A ruling is expected in the coming months.
Read more about the case here.
