The Supreme Court has allowed Alabama to use a congressional map that has been criticized for favoring Republicans and discriminating against Black voters. This decision overrides a lower court's ruling which had ordered Alabama to use a court-drawn map that created two districts where Black voters had a strong opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. The state-drawn map, initially adopted three years ago, has only one majority-Black district out of seven.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissenting opinion, strongly criticized the majority's decision, stating that it enables a "chaotic election, held under a never-before-used congressional map that intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians." The lower court had previously found, with "undisputed evidence," that the map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens, who constitute about 27% of Alabama's population. This decision follows a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding a Louisiana case that weakened the federal Voting Rights Act.
The reintroduction of the state-drawn map is expected to reverse the electoral gains made by Black Democrats. Under the court-ordered map used in 2024, U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat, was elected. However, the map now permitted by the Supreme Court is likely to put his seat at risk and gives the GOP an opportunity to reclaim the south Alabama seat. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund's director of litigation, Deuel Ross, stated that the Supreme Court's decision "gives cover to Alabama and others to deliberately and openly discriminate against Black voters without fear of any consequence."
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey confirmed that the state will use the map in special congressional primaries for four districts on August 11, despite previous primaries for the other three districts already occurring on May 19. The Supreme Court's conservative majority stated that the lower court had not heeded the "presumption of legislative good faith." This ruling is seen as part of a broader effort to reshape voting districts in several Southern states, potentially impacting the Republican House majority in the November elections.
