As Georgia looks to court-ordered redistricting, not only Republicans are in peril

Lawmakers will return on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, for a special session to redraw congressional and legislative maps after a federal judge ruled Georgia's maps illegally diluted the power of Black voters. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

It’s a pattern Southern states have repeated for decades: A federal court rules an electoral map illegally dilutes the power of Black voters and orders a new one.

But with Georgia lawmakers scheduled to return Nov. 29 for a special session to debate new voting districts, some things are different.

Unlike earlier decades, when Republicans avoided losses, some Georgia GOP lawmakers are now likely to walk the plank when new districts are drawn. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in October ordered Georgia to draw Black majorities in one additional congressional district, two additional state Senate districts, and five additional state House districts.