UMVA has learned that the Supreme Court has handed down an emergency order allowing Alabama Republicans to use a congressional map that is likely to benefit the GOP in the upcoming midterm elections.
The court's decision grants Alabama's emergency appeal to utilize a map adopted by the state legislature in 2023, which includes a single majority-Black district for this election cycle. This move is expected to give the GOP an opportunity to gain an additional congressional seat.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the map is likely to replace a court-drawn south Alabama district that helped elect a Black Democrat. The ruling came after a series of legal battles over the state's congressional map.
The Supreme Court's three liberal justices dissented from the decision, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor arguing that the map discriminates against Black Alabamians. She warned that the ruling could lead to a chaotic election and disregard democratic values.
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey celebrated the ruling, stating that Alabama knows its state, people, and districts best. She added that the decision is a win for the people of Alabama and their elections.
The redistricting fight is part of a larger effort by Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps following a Supreme Court decision that limited the use of race in congressional redistricting. Alabama argued that the lower court's remedial map improperly elevated race over traditional districting principles.
Voting-rights groups, including the ACLU, criticized the ruling, arguing that it permits Alabama to use a racially discriminatory map. The ACLU's deputy director of the Voting Rights Project stated that the ruling delays relief for voters who have been fighting for an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
The decision has significant implications for the upcoming midterm elections in Alabama, with the state's Aug. 11 special primary election set to be conducted under the 2023 map.
