Florida Supreme Court Clears Way for GOP-Backed Congressional Map in 2026 Midterms
The consolidation of Republican power in the U.S. House of Representatives received a major boost on June 10, 2026, as the Florida Supreme Court, in a 6-1 ruling, declined to block a highly controversial, Republican-drawn congressional map1 signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in May 2026.
The new map significantly alters Florida's political boundaries, cutting in half the number of congressional districts won by Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election (from eight districts down to just four). Under the newly enacted lines, 24 of Florida's 28 districts were carried by Republican Donald Trump in 2024. This aggressive gerrymander could net the Republican Party up to four additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, directly impacting the national battle for control of Congress.
Voting rights groups, including the Equal Ground Protection Fund, had filed an emergency petition urging the state's high court to put the map on hold for the 2026 midterms, arguing that using a potentially illegal map would cause irreparable harm to voters. However, the 6-1 majority declined to intervene, ruling that they lacked jurisdiction while the case remains pending in lower appellate courts:
“At this time, we do not have jurisdiction over that matter, and we do not simply assume that the 1st District’s decision will provide an appropriate basis for this Court’s review.”
Governor Ron DeSantis immediately celebrated the ruling on social media:
“The Florida Supreme Court has REJECTED the challenge to the state’s redistricting plan and new map. This assures that the recently enacted map will be in place for the 2026 election.”
In a sharp dissent, Justice Jorge Labarga—the sole dissenting voice—criticized the majority and the lower courts for delaying review as the candidate filing deadline approached on June 12, 2026:
“And yet, for a second time in fewer than three years, in a substantively similar context, the district court has elected a path of delayed appellate review. Only this time, the votes of even more Floridians are at stake... Unfortunately, for now, and with a filing deadline and an election fast approaching, we will not have the opportunity to review the issues of statewide importance raised in the petitioners’ efforts to enjoin Florida’s 2026 congressional map.”
This ruling highlights a recurring national pattern in which conservative-dominated courts use procedural delays and the Purcell principle to allow contested, highly partisan maps to remain in place for active election cycles, effectively locking in partisan gains.
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An instance of Legislative deadlock pushes the final authority over voting maps to supreme courts. — The state supreme court became the ultimate battleground where a highly partisan map was allowed to proceed for the elections. ↩︎