TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Civil rights activists worry that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling could embolden Republicans to take aim at splitting majority-Black districts and ultimately reduce Black voters’ influence on Capitol Hill. In Florida, GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis took the unusual step last month of asking the state Supreme Court whether a Democrat's plurality-Black congressional district could be broken into whiter — and more Republican — districts. The court on Thursday declined to get involved. While that type of request might typically face steep hurdles under laws meant to protect representation of marginalized communities, the ground rules may be shifting after the high court sided with Republicans in Alabama to block efforts to add a second majority-Black district.
Chris O'Meara/AP
FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters and members of the media after a bill signing on Nov. 18, 2021, in Brandon, Fla. DeSantis is taking the unusual step of asking his state's Supreme Court to advise whether Democratic Rep. Al Lawson's district can be broken up. For decades, Lawson's district has stretched like a rubber band from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, scooping up as many Black voters as possible to comply with requirements that minority communities get grouped together so they can select their own leaders and flex their power in Washington. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
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