— Georgia: The GOP-controlled state legislature last week passed a map that destroys Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath’s district, where Black, Latino and Asian voters made up a majority. Democrats have signaled that they are going to challenge the map and have until Tuesday to do so. There is a hearing scheduled on Dec. 20. There are a few months until the filing deadline, and the case could play out in the courts. If this map is overturned, a special master would draw new lines. Republicans would likely then challenge that map. — Louisiana: The Louisiana state legislature, which has a Republican majority, is poised to hold a special session next month to redraw its congressional map. It has until Jan. 30 to do so — or else a district court will decide on a plan for 2024 in a trial that would begin Feb. 5. The fight over Louisiana’s map has been long-running. Last year, a district court ruled the map likely dilutes the power of Black voters and ordered a second majority-Black district to be drawn. (Only one of the six congressional districts in the state is majority-Black — and held by a Democrat. Around one-third of the state’s population is Black.) The state legislature appealed, but ahead of last year’s midterm elections, the Supreme Court put the case on hold in 2022. The state’s filing deadline is in July, and its primary elections are in November. — New York: New York’s highest court still has to rule on a case that could impact some of the most competitive battleground races next year. Last month, the state’s Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case brought by Democrats who argue the current congressional map — which was drawn by a special master last year — should be redrawn. Democrats suffered losses across the state last year on that very competitive map. If the judges do rule in Democrats’ favor, the state’s redistricting commission will first be tasked with coming up with a new map. But ultimately, the Democratic-controlled legislature has the final say on lines in the state. That could open the door to even more litigation. The court did not indicate when it will issue a decision. New York is holding its primary elections on June 25. — South Carolina: A decision is pending from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding South Carolina’s congressional map — a ruling that could impact SC-01, currently held by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace. Republicans in the state challenged a lower court’s ruling that the district is the result of an unlawful racial gerrymander. In an October hearing, the court’s conservative majority seemed likely to uphold the map. The filing deadline is in April. — Florida: Earlier this month, a state appeals court overturned a lower court’s ruling that declared the state’s congressional map unconstitutional, opening the possibility of the case going to the state Supreme Court. That map destroyed FL-05, which was represented by Democratic Rep. Al Lawson before the post-census redistricting process, and led to Republicans picking up four seats in the midterms. The filing deadline is in April. — Utah: The Utah Supreme Court in July heard a challenge to the state’s congressional map, arguing that it is gerrymandered to favor Republicans. A ruling is pending. Republicans currently hold all four Utah House seats. The state’s filing deadline is Jan. 8. — Kentucky: A decision is also pending in the Kentucky Supreme Court, which heard arguments from Democrats in September accusing the map of being illegally gerrymandered. The filing deadline is Jan. 5. — North Carolina: Black and Latino voters filed a suit last week over North Carolina’s map, which could flip as many as four Democratic-held seats. That lawsuit is unlikely to be resolved before the 2024 elections. Candidate filing is currently ongoing, and ends Dec. 15. Happy Monday. Reach me at mfernandez@politico.com and @madfernandez616.
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