Two new lawsuits filed in Tallahassee on Friday — one in state court and another in federal court — ask judges to put in place new congressional district plans for Florida since Gov. Ron DeSantis has promised a veto of the Legislature’s approved plans and the Legislature doesn’t look like it’ll be able to override a veto.
Both lawsuits argue the Legislature has little hope of overriding a veto, and because last decade’s congressional districts no longer have equal populations — and a new 28th district has not been drawn — the court must ensure a new map goes into effect.
The federal lawsuit will be heard by a three-judge panel. The panel will include U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor, a Donald Trump appointee, and two judges picked by Chief Judge William H. Pryor Jr. of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a George W. Bush appointee.
Winsor represented the Florida House in last decade’s redistricting litigation. If he recuses, one of the other two Tallahassee-based federal district judges, both of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents, will likely take his spot on the three-judge panel.
