Florida Miami City Commission Redistricting Challenge

Lawsuit filed by Grove Rights and Community Equity (GRACE), Engage Miami, three Florida branches of the NAACP and residents of Miami City Commission districts 2, 3, 4 and 5 against the City of Miami, Florida over its city commission map drawn with 2020 census data. The plaintiffs allege that race was used as the predominant factor in creating the city commission districts without a compelling state interest, thereby creating a racial gerrymander in violation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs ask that the five commission districts be declared unconstitutional racial gerrymanders and preliminarily and permanently block the city from enacting the plan.

On May 23, 2023, the court granted the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction and blocked the current map from being used in the upcoming November 2023 elections. The court held that the map likely violates the U.S. Constitution. On May 31, 2023, the defendants appealed this decision to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Litigation is ongoing.