The district lines for Jefferson County commissioners should stay the same for the 2026 cycle while a lawsuit proceeds on appeal, according to an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion released on Thursday .

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Jefferson County Commission’s motion to stay U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala’s order to Jefferson County to redraw its district lines for its five commissioners in September . The order is stayed pending appeal.

The ruling would’ve likely shifted the Jefferson County Commission from a majority Republican to a Democratic majority.

According to the order by Haikala, the plaintiffs suing Jefferson County contended that the Commission’s 2021 redistricting map is “racially gerrymandered in violation of the Equal Protection Cla

See Full Page