Federal judges chosen in state redistricting case

Three federal judges have been chosen to consider a lawsuit seeking a courtdrawn congressional redistricting plan for Florida.

William Pryor, chief judge of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has designated U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers and appellate Judge Adalberto Jordan to weigh the case.

The groups Common Cause Florida and FairDistricts Now and voters in Leon, Gadsden, Orange, Lee and Miami-Dade counties filed the lawsuit on March 11, contending that a court needs to set new congressional districts.

The lawsuit came as Gov. Ron DeSantis vows to veto a plan approved by the Legislature as part of the once-a-decade reapportionment process. The 25-page lawsuit points, in part, to a June deadline for candidates to qualify for congressional races.

Pryor wrote Monday that federal law requires appointment of a three-judge panel in such situations, though the panel can subsequently decide that it should not have been formed.

“The parties will have the opportunity to brief and argue all questions before the three-judge court as the court concludes is appropriate,” Pryor wrote.

Winsor was appointed to the federal bench by former President Donald Trump, while Rodgers was appointed by former President George W. Bush. Jordan was appointed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by former President Barack Obama.