The city of Miami took a step forward Thursday and approved a settlement leading to a new district map.
The city was originally sued by local activist groups and the ACLU of Florida for racial gerrymandering — a tactic in which voting maps are used to reduce the voice of certain demographics — after new district lines were approved by city commissioners.
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A judge tossed the map out in a ruling in April, saying that it violated the 14th Amendment.
"By sorting its citizens based on race, the City reduced Miamians to no more than their racial backgrounds, thereby denying them the equal protection of the laws that the Fourteenth Amendment promises," the ruling read.
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Commissioners approved a different map that still has to be approved by the judge.
Commissioner Joe Carollo spoke out against the map and was the lone "no" vote. That led to an argument with Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who pointed out the commission had already discussed the issue in a meeting earlier in the afternoon.
Commissioners also agreed to pay the plaintiff’s lawyers fees for some $1.5 million.
