Federal judges on Tuesday blocked Alabama Republicans’ plan to implement a new congressional map that could give the GOP a leg up in the upcoming midterm elections — a ruling that comes ahead of the special primaries.
The three-judge panel found that the map unconstitutionally discriminates against Black voters and that their ruling is not affected by the Supreme Court’s recent decision narrowing the Voting Rights Act.
They found that a “limited order requiring the Secretary to continue using this Court’s race-blind map will not disrupt Alabama’s elections.”
“Ultimately, 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 ruling said.
The judges’ preliminary injunction requires the state to continue using the court-drawn current congressional districts, including a second-majority Black district, that were used in the 2024 election.
Republicans can appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The seat at the core of the issue — one that Republicans want to reclaim — is held by Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures.
Lawyers representing Black voters argued that the same judicial panel previously ruled the state’s map was intentionally discriminatory against Black voters, pointing to illegal dilution of their political power.
The ruling is part of a broader national trend following a landmark April decision from the nation’s highest court that invalidated a majority-Black district in Louisiana and rolled back part of the Voting Rights Act. This prompted several Republican-led Southern states to pass new, heavily redrawn maps that could eliminate minority electoral districts that have favored Democrats.
The mid-decade redistricting trend came at the behest of President Trump, who is pushing efforts to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority.
