Justice Clarence Thomas Orders Alabama Voting Rights Challengers to Respond on Congressional Map

Justice Clarence Thomas ordered voting rights challengers in Alabama to provide a defense by Monday regarding a court-drawn congressional map that has allowed Democrats to secure a seat in the state House. Alabama's Republican Attorney General requested emergency relief from the Supreme Court to reinstate the state's 2023 legislature-drawn congressional map, which was blocked by a lower court ruling that mandated the use of a special-master map that created a second Black-opportunity district. Thomas's ruling follows a Supreme Court decision in April that narrowed the interpretation of a provision in the Voting Rights Act, impacting redistricting efforts in GOP-led states. The Supreme Court had previously upheld a challenge to Alabama's 2020 census-drawn map, leading to the implementation of a court-approved special-master map. Alabama's emergency application argues that the lower court's ruling contradicts constitutional protections. The Supreme Court's recent rulings have prompted renewed redistricting efforts in Alabama and other states.