A federal court has blocked Alabama from using a new Republican-friendly congressional map in this year's midterm elections, ruling that it was drawn with the intent to discriminate against Black voters. The decision, issued on Tuesday by a panel of three federal judges, prevents the state from implementing a map passed by lawmakers in 2023 but never enacted due to previous legal challenges.
Background of the Case
The 2023 map was initially struck down by the same court, which found it intentionally discriminatory. Alabama was subsequently ordered to adopt a map with two majority-Black districts, both of which elected Democrats. However, after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in the case Louisiana v. Callais in April, Alabama moved its congressional primary and sought to use the 2023 map for the 2026 elections.
Court's Rationale
In its opinion, the panel stated that the Supreme Court's ruling did not permit Alabama to use the discriminatory map. "We cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination," the judges wrote. "We again cannot understand the 2023 Plan as anything other than intentionally discriminatory."
The panel included Judge Stanley Marcus of the 11th Circuit, a Bill Clinton appointee, and U.S. District Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer, both appointed by Donald Trump.
Implications for Voting Rights
This case is expected to test the limits of the Supreme Court's recent ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, noted that maps drawn with discriminatory intent could still be challenged, though proving intent is an extremely high bar. The Alabama case will be the first test of that principle.
Evidence of Discriminatory Intent
The court reviewed extensive records from a legal battle dating back to 2021, when Black plaintiffs sued Alabama over its congressional map, alleging dilution of Black voting power. The panel agreed and ordered a new map. Lawmakers passed the 2023 plan, which the court again found dilutive. A special master ultimately drew a map with a second majority-Black district, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2023.
In Tuesday's decision, the panel revisited the legislature's actions. "When the Legislature enacted the 2023 Plan, it made a calculated, purposeful decision to refuse to provide the remedy for discriminatory vote dilution that our order required," the judges wrote. They noted that lawmakers knew the plan would dilute Black voters' influence but intentionally employed mechanisms to achieve that outcome.
Broader Context
Alabama's effort is part of a Republican-led push across the South to redraw maps following the Callais decision, aiming to add Republican-friendly seats for the midterms. Tennessee has already implemented a new map eliminating a majority-Black district, and Louisiana and South Carolina are expected to follow. These moves have drawn widespread criticism from Black leaders and civil rights groups, who accuse Republicans of resurrecting discriminatory practices.
