ATLANTA — The federal court judge who ruled Georgia’s congressional and legislative maps were unconstitutional will now decide if the new re-drawn maps violate the law, too.

Georgia needs to know what district maps to use by mid-January if it’s to use them for the 2024 elections.

The Republican-controlled General Assembly said the new maps are good, but opponents want the judge to decide that question.

Democratic lawmakers Sandra Scott and Viola Davis were among the handful of lawmakers inside Judge Steven Jones’ courtroom on Wednesday.

“We’re here because the judge gave the state specific lines for redrawing the maps, and that’s why we’re here today,” Scott said.

In October, Jones declared Georgia’s 2021 congressional and legislative district maps unconstitutional and ordered the General Assembly to redraw them with more Black majority districts.

It did, and Cornelia Republican Sen. Bo Hatchett defended them.

“A lot of hours and energy was put into making sure this map complied with the judge’s order. That’s what we did in the Senate. That’s what we’ve done with the state house maps, and what we’re going to do with the congressional maps,” he said.

But opponents immediately objected, saying that in order to create the new Black majority districts, Republicans simply shifted voters around.

“The state is playing games, a constant game of whack-a-mole,” opponents said.

To which the state’s attorney responded, “Whack-a-mole is the shifting theories of the plaintiffs.”

He added that the Republicans followed the letter of the judge’s ruling so “I was at a loss as to what the General Assembly did wrong here.”

Outside federal court, Scott and Davis said that they hope the judge declares the new maps unconstitutional again and orders them to be redrawn -- this time, by someone other than the General Assembly.

“After hearing the testimony, it’s clear, as far as my opinion, that we’re looking for a new special master,” Davis said.

A special master could be appointed to redraw the maps.

WSB-TV’s Richard Elliot contributed to this report.