The Supreme Court on Monday gave Republicans a redistricting victory by clearing Alabama to use a GOP-backed congressional map that had been blocked as discriminatory, reshaping the state's House districts for this year's elections. In a brief order, the court's Republican-appointed majority set aside a lower court ruling that found the map illegally diluted the political influence of Black voters and required a second majority-Black district under the Voting Rights Act. The three justices appointed by Democratic presidents dissented, USA Today reports.
The decision sets the stage for Alabama Republicans to gain an additional House seat in a partisan battle for control of the chamber. It's a setback for Black residents and groups that had waged a legal fight for several years to get a second Alabama congressional district where Black voters had an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice, per the AP. Evan Milligan, the lead plaintiff in the case, said Monday that he is disappointed in the decision but added that it could be a "call to action" for voters. "We are not defeated by this," Milligan said.
Writing in dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor faulted the majority for intervening after early voting had already started for the May 19 primary, per USA Today; Republican Gov. Kay Ivey can schedule a special primary election. The court's decision, Sotomayor wrote, lacked "any sound basis" and was issued "without regard for the confusion that will surely ensue." The lower court had ordered Alabama to keep the remedial map in place until after the 2030 census.
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