Atlanta, Georgia - A federal judge in Georgia has upheld a GOP-drawn congressional map despite arguments that it dilutes minority voting power.

US District Judge Steve Jones, a Barack Obama appointee, ruled in favor of the map, teeing up Georgia Republicans to maintain their 9-5 advantage in the US House.

Jones in October ordered that legislators draw a new map with an additional majority-Black or near-majority-Black district, ruling that their initial proposal violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Republican Governor Brian Kemp called a special session to redraw the lines, even as the state sought to appeal Jones' decision.

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The new map created a majority-Black district west of Atlanta, but at the same time dissolved another district of primarily minority voters, represented by Democrat Lucy McBath, who is a Black woman.

Opponents of the new proposal argued that it violated Jones' order that the new district not come at the cost of "eliminating minority districts elsewhere."

Democrats must flip five seats nationally to regain control of the US House in 2024.