TALLAHASSEE — Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes of Tallahassee upheld Florida's redrawn congressional maps on May 26, rejecting three consolidated legal challenges that argued the maps constituted an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. Hawkes ruled that the need for electoral certainty outweighed the plaintiffs' claims ahead of the upcoming elections.

"The election machinery of the state is already underway," Hawkes said. "The primary is less than three months away, and the general less than six months. The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps." The new congressional boundaries, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in early May, could give Republicans four additional U.S. House seats in Florida, increasing their delegation from 20 to as many as 24 of the state’s 28 seats.

Opponents contended the maps violate Florida’s Fair Districts amendments, which voters approved in 2010 to prohibit redistricting intended to favor or disfavor a political party. Three lawsuits were filed shortly after DeSantis signed the map—the first by the Equal Ground Education Fund, the second by the UCLA Voting Rights Project and the Campaign Legal Center, and the third by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Democracy Defenders Fund.

"This map was drawn for partisan purposes and we disagree with the trial court's decision on the law. We plan to appeal," said Chad Dunn, legal director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project. A staff member and lawyer for the governor had acknowledged the use of partisan data in drawing the lines.

Hawkes declined to rule on the state’s argument, raised during a May 15 hearing, that the Fair Districts amendments conflict with the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and are therefore unconstitutional. "The Court will note at this preliminary stage, and especially with the way the Motions are resolved herein, the question of the (amendment's) continued constitutional viability is premature," Hawkes wrote. He added, "To the extent the Court has to balance Florida’s prohibition of improper partisan intent and the (U.S.) Constitution’s Equal Protection guarantees, it seems clear that the potential partisan intent in the 2026 map is the lesser of the two evils." DeSantis argued the new maps were necessary to reflect population shifts across the state and posted "Let's roll!" on X following the court’s decision.