MIAMI – A federal judge struck down Miami’s current city commission map, ruling that the city “unconstitutionally” drew district lines based on race.
U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore, who has presided over the case — which was filed by GRACE and other community groups — issued the 83-page ruling Wednesday. It came after a bench trial.
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He found that city commissioners unconstitutionally drew district lines in both 2022 and 2023 and prohibited the city “from calling, conducting, supervising, or certifying any elections under the unconstitutional districts.”
“These are the serious harms that the City perpetuated, and Miamians suffered,” Moore wrote in the ruling. “Today, the Court permanently prevents the City from racial gerrymandering any longer.”
Moore also awarded the plaintiffs each a nominal $1.
The plaintiffs in the case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, have asked the court to mandate special elections for each district.
In his ruling, Moore said the court “will set a status conference to discuss potential remedies, including but not limited to the imposition of special elections or a remedial map,” but he would not rule on the request for special elections on Wednesday.
Legal analyst David Weinstein, who’s not involved in the case, said while special elections for all five districts would be unusual, “it looks like that is what is going to be the next step, after a remedial map is approved by the court.”
“The City of Miami’s Legal Department has received and is currently reviewing the order issued by United States District Judge K. Michael Moore,” a city of Miami spokesperson said in a statement to Local 10 News on Wednesday.
Weinstein said the city could choose to appeal, but to prevent the ruling from taking effect in the meantime, they would need Moore or the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to grant a stay.
“Based on the proceedings in the District Court, I do not think that Judge Moore will grant a stay,” he said.
Following the ruling, the ACLU issued a press release, which said, in part:
“Today, a federal court in Miami struck down the Miami City Commission’s redistricting map as an unconstitutional gerrymander. The Court ruled that by intentionally dividing neighborhoods along racial and ethnic lines and packing Black and Hispanic voters into segregated districts, the City Commission undermined fair representation.”
The ACLU’s full release can be found by clicking here.
GRACE also released a statement, which read:
“Today’s ruling is consistent with the court’s previous directives. The City continues its settlement negotiations with Grace, Inc. and we look forward to resolving this case as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Additionally, Local 10 News reached out to each commissioner seeking comment.
A spokesperson for District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo, in a statement to Local 10 News, said late Thursday night, “Today’s ruling is consistent with the court’s previous directives. The City continues its settlement negotiations with Grace, Inc. and we look forward to resolving this case as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo, in a statement to Local 10 News, said, “In 3 districts that have over 90 percent Hispanic population, no matter what maps are used, ours, theirs, or any map the judge wants to create, you are still going to have 3 Hispanics elected from these districts, so where is the gerrymandering?”
At Thursday’s city commission meeting, District 1 Commissioner Miguel Gabela told Local 10 News that commissioners were set to meet with the city’s legal team to discuss a settlement.
“We are trying to settle, we have given them a map that we think the ACLU will be comfortable with,” he said. “We are negotiating with them now to see if we reach a settlement because the judge, I think, wants us to reach a settlement.”
The other two commissioners had not responded as of Thursday morning.
Read the ruling: