Alabama Files Emergency Petitions with Supreme Court Regarding Congressional Map

Alabama submitted two emergency petitions to the Supreme Court on May 27, 2026, requesting the court to lift a lower court's block on a new congressional map. The state argues that the map could help the GOP gain a Democratic seat in the upcoming 2026 elections. Earlier in May, the Supreme Court had overturned a three-judge panel's finding that the map constituted an unlawful racial gerrymander, instructing the panel to reconsider the case based on the ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which raised the legal standards for proving intentional racial discrimination in congressional map drawing. Alabama's Solicitor General A. Barrett Bowdre contended that the lower court's ruling contradicts the Supreme Court's Callais decision. The state claims it followed the legal standards while aiming to protect incumbents and other race-neutral objectives. Alabama officials requested a ruling from the Supreme Court by 10 a.m. on the following Monday to allow time for preparations for the upcoming House primaries. The Supreme Court's decision on the petitions may impact the timing and structure of the primaries for several congressional districts in Alabama.