Florida's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the state's congressional map pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, delivering a victory to Republicans, Politico reported.

Florida's high court ruled 5-1 to uphold the congressional redistricting map, rejecting a legal challenge that claimed the changes diminished the voting power of Black residents in north Florida.

"This was always the constitutionally correct map — and now both the federal courts and the FL Supreme Court have upheld it," DeSantis posted on X following the ruling.

The ruling centered on the dismantling of a district once held by former Rep. Al Lawson Jr., a Black Democrat. That seat, which spanned nearly 200 miles from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, was initially crafted under a prior Florida Supreme Court decision aimed at preserving minority voting strength. At DeSantis' insistence, state lawmakers redrew the map to split those Black voters across four districts.

Chief Justice Carlos Muniz, writing for the majority, concluded the old district was likely an illegal racial gerrymander and said lawmakers had a "superior" obligation to follow the U.S. Constitution.

"There is no plausible, non-racial explanation for using a nearly two-hundred-mile-long land bridge to connect the black populations of Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Nor can the plaintiffs offer a plausible non-racial justification for the way the proposed remedial district carves up those cities," he wrote.

Critics argue that the decision undermines the 2010 Fair Districts amendment to Florida's constitution, which prohibits districts from being drawn in a manner that "diminishes" the ability of minority voters to elect candidates of their choice.

"The Florida Supreme Court's refusal to enforce state law, allowing an unconstitutional map to remain in place, is alarming," said Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation. "This decision shamefully dismisses the fact that the state's map actively diminishes the voting power of Black Floridians."

Genesis Robinson, executive director of Equal Ground, called it a "dark day" and a "direct attack on Black political power," warning that the ruling will have "ripple effects for generations."

Justice Jorge Labarga was the sole dissenter. Appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist, Labarga argued the case should have been sent back to the trial court. He wrote that the decision "lays the groundwork for future decisions that may render the non-diminishment clause practically ineffective, or worse, unenforceable as a matter of law."

The legal fight began in 2023 when a lower court ordered lawmakers to redraw the map. A state appeals court overturned the decision.

The state Supreme Court criticized the appeals court, writing, "Even when a district court disagrees with a decision of this court, it is the lower court's duty to follow our precedent."

While both state and federal courts have now upheld the state's congressional map, opponents say the battle is not over.

"Make no mistake, the fight for fair maps in Florida is far from over," Jenkins said.

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