Georgia lawmakers convened a special session on Wednesday to tackle the issue of redistricting and comply with a federal court order to increase the number of Black-majority districts. The session is part of a series of redistricting sessions taking place across the South after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 1964 Voting Rights Act, granting Black voters the ability to seek changes from the courts.

The Georgia House Republicans unveiled their proposed map on Tuesday, aiming to minimize their losses by only surrendering two seats from their current majority while creating five more majority-Black districts that Democrats are likely to win. However, the map also pairs three sets of Democratic incumbents, which means that Democrats would ultimately lose three of those members after the 2024 elections.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans released their proposal on Monday, seeking to create two additional Black-majority voting districts while retaining their existing 33-23 majority in the upper chamber.

However, the task of redrawing congressional districts still lies ahead for Georgia lawmakers. They have been ordered by the court to create one new Black-majority seat, which poses a challenge for Republicans who currently hold a 9-5 edge in Georgia's congressional delegation. To maintain their margin, they would need to dissolve the only congressional district held by a Democrat that does not have a majority-Black population, Lucy McBath's 7th District in the Atlanta suburbs of Gwinnett and Fulton counties. The legality of this action is questionable, as U.S. District Judge Steve Jones explicitly stated that Georgia cannot fix its problems by "eliminating minority opportunity districts elsewhere."

Republican lawmakers assert that their proposed plans comply with Judge Jones' directives. Rob Levertt, an Elberton Republican and chairman of the House Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, stated that their plan is an improvement compared to what was proposed by plaintiffs during litigation.

However, Democrats, as well as those who sued over the districts, argue that the Republican proposals fall short of meeting Judge Jones' benchmark. State Senator Gloria Butler, a Democrat from Stone Mountain, expressed her disappointment, stating that the majority proposal continues to dilute the voting power of Black Georgians.

The court order, issued in October, demanded that Georgia draw Black majorities in additional districts, as the current maps drawn by Republicans after the 2020 Census were found to illegally dilute Black votes. The ruling came after a trial in which plaintiffs argued that opportunities for Black voters had not increased despite their growing population in the state throughout the past decade.

Creating new Black-majority districts is expected to favor the Democratic Party since Black voters in Georgia tend to overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. However, Democratic hopes of gaining more seats in the legislature may have been premature.

The House's proposed map would result in the creation of two new Black-majority districts around Macon, two districts in parts of Henry County in Atlanta's southern suburbs, and a fifth district in suburban Douglas County west of Atlanta. In the House, only one Macon-area district currently has a Republican incumbent, while the other four would be open seats in the 2024 elections.

The Senate's proposed map does not pair any incumbents but seeks to increase the number of Black-majority districts by eliminating two white-majority districts, currently represented by Democratic State Senators Jason Esteves and Elena Parent, both from Atlanta.

Advocates who testified suggested that the GOP Senate map falls short of compliance as it leaves intact some of the districts that were deemed illegal by Judge Jones. They argue that this failure to address the identified illegal districts leaves voters without the ability to elect candidates of their choice.

In response to the Republican proposals, Democrats released their own Senate map, which aims to convert two Republican-held districts into majority-Black districts, currently represented by Senators Marty Harbin of Tyrone and Brian Strickland of McDonough.

Georgia has vowed to appeal the federal judge's order. If successful, the state could have new districts in place for the 2024 elections, reverting to the current lines in 2026. However, for the time being, it is Judge Jones who will ultimately decide whether lawmakers have complied with his order.

The special session will continue as lawmakers work towards finalizing the redistricting process and addressing the court's mandates. The outcome of these decisions will have a significant impact on the political landscape of Georgia in the years to come.