TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Little more than an hour after a judge issued a temporary injunction against a new congressional redistricting plan, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration Thursday launched an appeal that put the ruling on hold.
Attorneys for Secretary of State Laurel Lee, a defendant in the lawsuit filed by voting-rights groups and other plaintiffs, filed a notice of taking the case to the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeal.
The notice triggered an automatic stay of the ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith, effectively meaning that the ruling will be on hold until the appeals court makes a decision about the temporary injunction. A court rule requires automatic stays when the state files such appeals, though it is possible for plaintiffs to try to get stays lifted.
