U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Georgia PSC elections
Denial comes as Georgia leaders brace for new map fights after Louisiana v. Callais and ahead of June 17 special session
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case brought by Black voters in Georgia over how the state elects its Public Service commissioners.
The case in question is Richard Rose v Brad Raffensperger, in which the outgoing secretary of state is a defendant. Rose and other Black voters filed a lawsuit in 2022, arguing Georgia’s statewide, at-large elections for the hugely influential Public Service Commission (PSC) dilute Black voting power in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Rose and the plaintiffs were arguing a single-member district system would let Black voters elect a preferred candidate in at least one district.
On Nov. 23, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed a district court decision that had blocked PSC elections. The appeals court said the plaintiffs’ proposed fix — switching from statewide elections to district elections — was not a legally “viable remedy” because it would fundamentally change Georgia’s chosen structure for a statewide commission.
Rose and the plaintiffs then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which the court had declined to consider.
The decision not to hear the case comes after the nation’s high court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a decision that has thrown several 2026 and 2028 elections - and beyond - into a realm of political chaos.
The Supreme Court case centered on a Louisiana congressional district and addressed how race can be considered when drawing voting maps and how challenges under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act are evaluated. The court’s decision essentially removes race as a consideration when drawing state and legislative boundaries.
Voting rights advocates are warning the decision will make it harder to challenge maps that weaken minority voting power, while supporters said it limits race-based line drawing and reduces judicial involvement.
Outgoing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is calling lawmakers back to Atlanta on June 17, 2026, to redraw the state’s electoral maps that will take effect in time for the 2028 elections.
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