politics
Florida Legislature Approves New Congressional Map
The Florida Legislature passed a redistricting plan on April 29, 2026, potentially boosting Republican seats, coinciding with a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Louisiana's map as a racial gerrymander. The ruling limits race-based districting under the Voting Rights Act.
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The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map on April 29, 2026, during a special session in Tallahassee, Florida, sending it to Gov. Ron DeSantis for signature. U.S. House delegation to 24 to 4, up from the current 20 to 8 split.
Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal for the congressional map two days before the approval on April 29, 2026. U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in a 6-3 ruling that struck down Louisiana's congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
The Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, with Justice Alito writing, 'Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ... ' The decision preserves but tightens the use of the Voting Rights Act for drawing districts to boost racial and ethnic minority voting power, following a lower court order that had mandated Louisiana's majority-Black district.
In the Florida Senate, Sen.
Spoke on the floor about SB 8-D during the special session on April 29, 2026, in Tallahassee. State Sen. , listened to the debate on SB 8-D at the same session. In the Florida House, State Rep.
Rep. Rep. Michele Rayner, Democrat of St. U.S. Supreme Court ruling as reducing legal barriers. Virginia Democrats expect a four-seat gain from a recent redistricting referendum, which is being challenged in state court.
The Florida map's potential four-seat Republican gain matches this figure. Separately, a settlement was reached on April 29, 2026, in the case involving transgender athlete JayCee Cooper and USA Powerlifting. The Minnesota Supreme Court had found in October 2025 that USA Powerlifting violated the state's Human Rights Act by barring Cooper from competition.
Cooper, a transgender woman, was denied entry into two women's powerlifting competitions in 2018. ' USA Powerlifting maintained its policy was based on strength advantages related to sex assigned at birth. 5 billion in tariff costs for 2026, down from an original estimate of $3 billion to $4 billion, following a Supreme Court decision striking down certain levies.
