Georgia GOP House leaders scrap special session redistricting plans

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Only minutes before a special legislative session was set to convene to redraw Georgia's legislative and congressional maps, House GOP leaders announced they will not undertake that effort, at least not for now.

In a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp - who called the special session after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v Callais - Republican House leaders wrote, "Changes to Georgia's maps should take place only when members of the General Assembly and citizens have been given ample opportunity to gather the facts, provide input and engage in meaningful discussion.

"For this reason, we will not be taking up congressional or legislative redistricting for the 2028 election cycle during this special session," the letter, signed by House Speaker Jon Burns and other GOP legislative leaders, said.

At a press conference announcing their decision, Burns said the legislature should take a slower, more measured approach to redistricting.

"We believe that it's important to do things the Georgia way: responsibly, transparently and with ample opportunity for public input," he said.

Kemp said the state would keep the same legislative and congressional maps for the 2026 election, but those maps would need to be changed before the 2028 cycle.

The legislature's failure to take up the task was a stunning rebuke of the outgoing governor. Kemp also suffered two more electoral blows Tuesday night, when Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Derek Dooley, Kemp's endorsed picks for Governor and U.S. Senate respectively, lost their runoff elections.

The Capitol was also filled with activist and people in opposition to the redistricting effort. They erupted in applause when Burns announced the effort had fallen flat.

The Callais decision, political experts have said, would disproportionately impact Black voters by diluting their power to vote in unison as a bloc.