Judge William Jung set an April 27 trial date for the lawsuit alleging Sarasota County discriminated against black voters in adopting a new redistricting plan.

Rejecting an effort by Sarasota County to have the entire case thrown out, a federal judge set a trial date of April 27 to hear arguments in a lawsuit alleging that the county discriminated against black voters in adopting a new redistricting plan.

U.S. Judge William Jung ruled Tuesday that the three black residents of northern Sarasota County who filed the lawsuit can proceed with two of the counts alleged in the suit, delivering a win for the plaintiffs.

The trial date is also good news for the plaintiffs, who are trying to get the new redistricting plan nullified in time to hold elections under the previous County Commission district boundaries.

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April 27 is well before the heart of election season. The candidate qualifying period is in June, with an August primary and November general election.

"As both sides know, we just gotta get after it," Jung said. "Whatever the metaphor is, time’s a wasting. I’m going to give you a ruling that week of the trial, so just hop to it."

Jung also handed a few victories to the defendants. He dismissed a third count in the lawsuit, said one of the remaining counts is "hanging by a proverbial thread," ruled that three county commissioners originally named as defendants could not be sued individually and ruled that the commissioners have legislative privilege and can’t be deposed by the plaintiffs for sworn statements.

The two counts that Jung allowed to proceed allege that Sarasota County violated the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by shifting the boundaries of Commissioner Mike Moran’s District 1 — which is up for election in 2020 — so that it removes a significant number of black voters and a black candidate, former Sarasota Mayor Fredd Atkins, from the district.

Those voters will not get to cast ballots in a commission race until 2022 under the district boundaries.

Jung threw out a third count that alleged the county also violated an amendment to the Florida Constitution that prohibits drawing legislative districts for partisan advantage or to benefits incumbents.

The plaintiffs argued the amendment also applies to County Commission districts, but Jung pointed out that there is no legal precedent to rely on in making that case.

"I decline to be an outlier or a judicial pioneer," he said.

Palmer Ranch developer Hugh Culverhouse, who is bankrolling the redistricting lawsuit, said after the hearing that he thought Jung’s rulings were "fair." Culverhouse is particularly pleased with the trial date.

"I could not be happier with this timing," he said.