New lawsuit challenges 3 Georgia congressional district maps

Voting rights groups and individual voters on Friday filed a federal lawsuit that says the new map for three Georgia congressional districts violate the Constitution and weaken the power of voters of color.

It challenges the 6th, 13th and 14th congressional districts. The Southern Poverty Law Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of Common Cause, the League of Women Voters of Georgia and individual voters.

Republicans have said they were careful to follow the dictates of the Voting Rights Act when drawing the maps. They also note that their maps split fewer counties.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed the new maps on Dec. 30. At least three other lawsuits have already been filed challenging various aspects of the new congressional, state Senate and state House maps.

The lawsuit says legislators moved voters of color out of the 6th District and replaced them with white voters, packed Black voters into the 13th District and moved Black voters from Cobb County into the largely rural and white 14th District.

"This map must be remedied to prevent harm to Georgia’s communities of color for years to come," Southern Poverty Law Center lawyer Jack Genberg said in a news release. "These unlawful districts would diminish communities’ ability to advocate for fair treatment and allocation of funds from their government."

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