Supreme Court Clears Path for Alabama to Use 2023 Republican-Drawn Congressional Map
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall welcomed the decision, stating the ruling confirms that elected representatives — not federal judges — should draw the state’s congressional districts.
Tommy Flynn
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday vacated lower-court orders blocking Alabama’s 2023 congressional redistricting map, clearing the way for the state to use the Republican-led legislature’s plan for the 2026 midterm elections.
In an unsigned order, the justices directed lower courts to reconsider the case in light of the Supreme Court’s April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which narrowed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and rejected race-based map drawing in that case. The order was issued on the court’s shadow docket and drew dissents from the three liberal justices.
The 2023 map contains one majority-Black district out of seven. A court-imposed map with two majority-Black districts has been in use since the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Allen v. Milligan. The switch is expected to strengthen Republican performance in Alabama’s delegation, which currently stands at 5 Republicans and 2 Democrats.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall welcomed the decision, stating the ruling confirms that elected representatives — not federal judges — should draw the state’s congressional districts. State lawmakers had already passed contingency legislation last week allowing results of the May 19 primary to be voided in affected districts so a new special primary can be held by August. Gov. Kay Ivey will set the date.
The move is the latest in a series of redistricting actions by Republican-led states following the Callais precedent. Similar efforts are underway or completed in Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, and others, as Republicans seek to expand their narrow House majority heading into the midterms. Democrats have criticized the Alabama decision as undermining minority voting strength, while Republicans describe it as a return to color-blind map drawing required by the Constitution.
The existing court-ordered map will remain in place only until the lower courts act on the remand. No further Supreme Court action is expected before the election cycle advances.
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