Florida Supreme Court Rejects Effort to Block 2026 Republican Congressional Map

The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition for a constitutional writ to intervene in a lower court challenge of the state’s new congressional district map.

The court cited a lack of jurisdiction at the current juncture regarding the First District Court of Appeal’s denial of the plaintiffs’ motion, meaning it did not rule on the merits of claims that the newly enacted map is in violation of the Fair Districts Amendment.

Equal Ground Education and co-plaintiffs petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene following the First District’s rejection of a motion to expedite.

The initial lawsuit alleges that the 2026 redistricting legislation violates the Fair Districts Amendment of the Florida Constitution.

“We hereby deny Petitioners’ request for a constitutional writ,” the per curiam opinion stated. “We have repeatedly stressed that ‘the doctrine of all writs is not an independent basis for this Court’s jurisdiction.’”

The Florida Supreme Court came to the conclusion in a 6–1 decision.

“At this time, we do not have jurisdiction over that matter, and we do not simply assume that the First District’s decision will provide an appropriate basis for this Court’s review,” the court wrote.

In a special concurrence, Justice Adam S. Tanenbaum concurred with the majority opinion.

“The dissent makes several assertions regarding this court’s jurisdiction and the First District Court of Appeal’s handling of the underlying non-final-order appeal,” he wrote. “Though I join the majority in full, the dissent’s assertions impel, respectfully, a proper response.

“To begin, the dissent presumes that there unquestioningly will be a constitutional hook supporting this court’s discretionary jurisdiction to review the First District’s eventual disposition,” Tanenbaum wrote. “That presumption is not well founded.”

Justice Jorge Labarga disagreed that the Court lacked jurisdiction in the matter.

“Based on the record before this Court, it is not a simple assumption that this Court will ultimately have jurisdiction to review the First District Court of Appeal’s decision,” Labarga wrote.

The congressional map in question was enacted in May following a special legislative session convened by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida’s congressional redistricting has been a source of partisan contention for years. Voters approved the Fair Districts Amendment in 2010, adding constitutional protections against gerrymandering.

The measure prohibits maps drawn to favor or disfavor any political party or incumbent and requires districts to be as compact and contiguous as possible. After the 2020 census granted Florida an additional congressional seat for a total of 28 districts, the Republican-dominated Legislature passed new boundaries in 2022.