Justice Clarence Thomas did not grant Alabama Republicans immediate relief on Wednesday but ordered challengers to a court-drawn congressional map to quickly defend their position. This map has enabled Democrats to gain a seat in the Alabama House. Alabama's Republican Attorney General sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court to reinstate the 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 and facilitated the election of Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in 2024.
Justice Thomas, assigned to the 11th Circuit, did not restore the 2023 map but required the voting rights plaintiffs to explain by Monday why the legislature-drawn map should not be used. This ruling is part of an ongoing redistricting issue that intensified after an April Supreme Court decision that altered the interpretation of a Voting Rights Act provision used by Democrats in redistricting efforts. Previously, the Supreme Court upheld a challenge to the 2020 census-drawn map, leading to the implementation of a court-approved special-master map that reshaped Alabama's 2nd District.
In its emergency application, Alabama argued that the lower court's ruling contradicted the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which made it more difficult for voting rights activists to advocate for additional primarily minority districts under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court's ruling in May indicated that the lower court's judgment blocking Alabama's 2023 map should be vacated and reconsidered. However, a three-judge federal district court recently blocked the 2023 map, prompting Alabama's request for emergency relief.
The timing of Thomas's order coincides with Alabama's preparations to revert to the 2023 map, as Governor Kay Ivey had called for special primaries for the affected Congressional Districts following the Supreme Court's earlier ruling. Fox News Digital attempted to contact Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and the American Civil Liberties Union for comments but did not receive a response before publication.
