Alabama has requested the Supreme Court to permit the use of a congressional map that favors Republicans in the upcoming elections, despite a lower court ruling that found the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black voters. The state's Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal after a three-judge panel declined to allow the use of a map adopted three years ago, which has only one majority Black congressional district out of seven. Instead, the judges mandated the use of a court-ordered map for the 2024 elections, which includes two districts with majority or near-majority Black populations.
Attorney General Steve Marshall argued that the state did not intentionally discriminate against Black residents and should be allowed to conduct elections under the map chosen by lawmakers. This appeal follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act, prompting Republican-led states, including Alabama, to reconsider voting districts with significant minority populations.
The three-judge panel previously ruled that the Republican-drawn map diluted the voting power of Black citizens, noting that Alabama, which is approximately 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Louisiana case, Alabama officials sought to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. However, the judicial panel reaffirmed its finding of intentional racial discrimination, stating that the upcoming special congressional primaries should proceed under the previously approved districts. The court-ordered map led to the election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat, and state Republicans are aiming to utilize a map that could allow them to reclaim a congressional seat in southern Alabama. Alabama is seeking Supreme Court action by Monday in preparation for the special vote scheduled for August.
