State Issues
Governor Kemp Call Special Session to Address Redistricting
November 2, 2023
Late last month, a federal judge threw out the congressional and legislative maps drawn by the Georgia General Assembly two years ago. Facing a December 8 deadline, Governor Kemp called for a special session to begin November 29. The judge ordered the district lines to be redrawn in time for the 2024 General Election.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones agreed with civil rights and voting rights groups that claimed state legislative and congressional districts, as they are currently drawn, deny Black Georgians, in some parts of the State, the same opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
Citing the 2020 Census, the judge noted that all of Georgia’s population growth during the last decade was attributable to the increase in minority residents, it would stand to reason the number of majority Black districts would increase as well. However, this was not the case.
The judge’s ruling agreed with the plaintiffs by ordering the General Assembly to draw five additional Black majority seats in the Georgia House and came close to the plaintiffs’ arguments by ordering an additional two Black majority state Senate seats.
About the ARA Market Brief
The Atlanta REALTORS® (ARA Market Brief is compiled by First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS) and provides the only regionally focused synopsis of monthly sales and home prices for single-family residential properties. The Market Brief covers the following 11 counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Paulding, and Rockdale.
The data in this report was compiled by First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS). For more information on details of this month's report, please contact the Association at 404.250.0051.
*Each month, the numbers reported for the previous month are updated to reflect additional recordings.
About the Atlanta REALTORS® Association
The Atlanta REALTORS® Association (ARA) has been an instrumental factor in the growth of real estate in the state of Georgia for more than a century. With over 14,000 members, Atlanta is the largest association in Georgia and is considered to be one of the strongest and most successful REALTOR® organizations in the nation. ARA serves as a central source of information for its members, mainly focusing on real estate education, the promotion of professionalism in the industry, and representing REALTORS® members with legislative initiatives to create positive change for the real estate community.
About First Multiple Listing Service
First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS) is the premier data services provider for real estate professionals in Georgia. FMLS was founded in 1957 by a group of Brokers who wanted to share their listings and connect buyers and sellers. Today FMLS is the largest MLS in Georgia & the 4th largest MLS in the United States, serving nearly 54,000 real estate Agents & Brokers. For additional information or to start a discussion about how to partner with FMLS please contact join@fmls.com.