The Supreme Court on June 3, 2026, permitted Alabama to utilize a congressional map that has been criticized for favoring Republicans in the upcoming elections. This decision blocked a lower court ruling which stated that the redistricting plan discriminated against Black voters. The justices accepted the state's emergency appeal to use a map adopted three years prior, which includes only one majority-Black congressional district out of seven. The ruling was met with dissent from three liberal justices.
The order is part of a broader context of redistricting efforts linked to maintaining Republican control in the House. Alabama's Republican leadership sought the Supreme Court's intervention after a three-judge panel ruled against the state's preferred map, which had previously allowed for two Black Democrats to be elected to Congress. The lower court had mandated the use of a court-drawn map that reflected the demographic distribution of Black residents, who make up approximately 27% of the state's population.
Deuel Ross, director of litigation for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, criticized the Supreme Court's decision, stating it permits discrimination against Black voters. In contrast, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall argued that the state did not intentionally discriminate and should be allowed to proceed with elections under the lawmakers' chosen map.
The Supreme Court's ruling follows a recent decision that invalidated a Black-majority district in Louisiana, prompting similar redistricting actions in other Southern states. The Alabama case has been ongoing, with the three-judge panel previously finding evidence of intentional dilution of Black voting power. The Supreme Court's conservative majority lifted the injunction against the state-drawn map, sending the case back for further consideration. Meanwhile, special primaries in Alabama are scheduled for August 11, affecting four congressional districts.
