11th Circuit Vacates Ruling on Georgia Voting Maps

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit unanimously vacated a lower court ruling that had found Georgia's 2021 congressional and state legislative maps violated the Voting Rights Act. In a decision issued August 26, 2026, the appeals court remanded the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for a new review.

The ruling follows a Supreme Court of the United States decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which established a stricter legal framework for proving racial vote dilution. Under this updated standard, plaintiffs—including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and a coalition of Black voters—must now provide a strong inference of intentional racial discrimination. They must prove that race, rather than partisan politics, dominated the map-drawing process, moving away from the 1986 Thornburg v. Gingles framework that prioritized discriminatory effects.

In 2023, U.S. District Judge Steve G. Jones had previously barred Georgia from using the maps and ordered the creation of additional majority-Black districts. However, the appeals court determined that the legal landscape had shifted since that original ruling. This procedural victory for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Republican lawmakers ensures that Georgia's current district lines remain in place for the November midterm elections.