Florida Judge Orders Special Session To Adopt New Voting Map

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge is ordering legislators to hold a special session to draw up a new state congressional map after the original one was ruled illegal.

Circuit Judge Terry Lewis on Friday ruled that the Legislature must draw up new congressional districts by Aug. 15. Lewis said that he will then order a special election later this year for those new districts.

Lewis has already ruled the current districts are illegal because they were drawn to benefit the Republican Party. Legislative leaders had wanted to keep in place the state's current districts until after the 2014 elections.

Voters in 2010 passed the "Fair Districts" amendment that says legislators cannot draw up districts to favor incumbents or a political party.