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Georgia says it will appeal a judge's redistricting decision but won't seek to pause ruling for now

FILE - State Sen. John Kennedy, R-Macon, presents the newly-drawn congressional maps in the Senate Chambers during a special session at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. A federal judge ruled Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, that some of Georgia's congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, ordering the state to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district. (
Hyosub Shin/AP
/
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FILE - State Sen. John Kennedy, R-Macon, presents the newly-drawn congressional maps in the Senate Chambers during a special session at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. A federal judge ruled Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, that some of Georgia's congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, ordering the state to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district.

Georgia says it will appeal a judge’s order to redraw some congressional and state legislative districts, but that it won’t fight in court to pause the order for now. That means a special session later this month to draw new lines is likely to proceed.

The filing came Wednesday in a second case challenging Georgia’s electoral districts being pursued by different plaintiffs. The decision not to seek a stay of the ruling could forestall that second trial. It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday why the state is pursuing this strategy. A federal judge ruled last week that some of Georgia’s congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner.