A Florida circuit judge is approving a new map for 40 state senate districts that could shift control away from Republicans.
Judge George Reynolds on Wednesday rejected boundaries for the Florida Senate drawn up by Sen. Bill Galvano. Instead, Reynolds sided with a map drawn by a coalition of voting rights groups who contend the current districts violate the state constitution.
Reynolds said in his ruling that it appeared Galvano utilized a map that was intended to favor the GOP. Galvano is in line to become Senate President if Republicans remain in control.
The case went before Reynolds after the Senate admitted in court filings that it had violated the state's constitution when drawing the existing lines.
The map approved by Reynolds would split Senate districts into a roughly even amount of GOP and Democratic leaning districts.
Florida judges already approved a new map for Congressional districts.