Courts continue weighing Georgia's political maps, with potentially broad implications for Voting Rights Act

Georgia Rep. Mack Jackson, D-Sandersville, looks at a map of proposed state House districts before a House hearing, Nov. 29, 2023, at the state Capitol in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

Drew Angerer / Drew Angerer

A federal appeals court is weighing the future of Georgia’s new district lines for Congress and the state legislature after hearing oral arguments Thursday in a long-running case that could have sweeping implications for the federal Voting Rights Act.

When state lawmakers drew new maps after the 2020 census, several voters, civic and religious groups sued, arguing the maps illegally diluted Black voting power. In 2023, a federal judge agreed, ordering new maps with new majority-Black districts.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger appealed that decision, even as updated maps took effect. The appeal focuses on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices that discriminate by race, color or language.