The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Louisiana v. Callais gave Georgia Republicans a historic opportunity to correct more than 150 years of electoral injustice. Instead, legislative leaders walked away, failing to ensure a morally and legally upright future for Georgia’s congressional representation.
In Callais, the court clarified that the practice of dividing congressional districts by race is a violation of the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Under this ruling, states now have a legal obligation to pursue redistricting and redraw racially segregated maps to comply with constitutional principles.
In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp acted swiftly, rightly calling a special session to undertake the issue. Unfortunately, Republican state House leaders openly defied him, bending to the opposition’s political pressure.
Thankfully, other states have had the political will to do what Peach State legislators refused to do.
Florida successfully updated congressional maps, arguing that equal representation requires lawmakers to draw districts based on communities, not race. Louisiana and Alabama also took steps to put their maps on stronger constitutional footing.
With the precedent already set, why did Georgia lawmakers sidestep their obligation? Media accounts of the process paint a picture of the nefarious side of politics that often goes unseen by the general public.
When announcing that the Georgia House would not comply with the governor’s directive to redraw the districts, Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican, was “met with cheers and applause from protestors.” This is all too telling. While Burns claimed that the decision was informed by legal uncertainty and lack of public input, the truth is far clearer. Georgians were blindsided by a backroom deal brokered by none other than U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
(U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga/Facebook)
Because of this political deal, Georgia now risks becoming a spectator in a fight to determine congressional control for decades to come. However, it isn’t just Georgians who have been let down in the wake of Callais.
South Carolina abandoned redistricting despite calls from Gov. Henry McMaster to deliver new maps. Gov. Tate Reeves canceled Mississippi’s redistricting special session after a court decision gave him some wiggle room. And Indiana failed in its second bid to redistrict after Republican lawmakers openly allied with Democrats to stop the first effort back in December.
In Georgia, hundreds of grassroots activists engaged and asked their representatives to pass new maps, only to have their voices ignored. They understood what their elected leaders did not: Redistricting is about ensuring that Georgia complies with the Supreme Court ruling over racial mandates from zealots in Atlanta.
From Virginia to California, radical leftist activists have openly discussed changes to eliminate conservative representation to whatever degree is possible—regardless of the legal questions involved. Red states cannot afford unilateral surrender if they hope to retain a favorable political climate as President Donald Trump’s second term winds down.
If Georgia GOP leaders genuinely believe that our current maps are fair and constitutional, they should make the case during a legislative process. But refusing to engage after meeting secretly with Democrats sends a message that the base is expendable.
Of course, the General Assembly can still make things right. Kemp can and should issue a new proclamation calling legislators back to address redistricting again.
Georgia Republicans must reconvene and launch an effort in earnest to end government-imposed racial segregation and pass new maps. Waiting until after the elections could put the entire process at risk, especially if Republicans lose control of Georgia’s legislative chambers.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
