The U.S. Supreme Court faces potential redistricting action as a federal court in Alabama halted the Republican Party’s attempts to redraw the state’s congressional map.
The prolonged redistricting conflict involves Black voters’ attorneys contesting plans to alter the map. The changes could allow a Republican to gain a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, now held by a Democrat. This move reflects similar efforts nationwide, supported by former President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, a three-judge panel issued a preliminary injunction. The state may challenge this decision at the U.S. Supreme Court, which has already addressed similar cases, including one in Texas. Newsweek contacted Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and the plaintiffs’ attorneys for comments.
Alabama Redistricting Injunction: Key Information
The court decided that Alabama must use the same court-mandated districts implemented in the 2024 elections. This follows assertions from Black voters’ attorneys that the proposed map was intentionally discriminatory.
In 2023, the same panel made a similar ruling. Originally filed in 2021, the case argued that the state’s map contravened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The map allocated most Black voters to a single district, neglecting to establish a second district for them to elect their chosen candidate. Federal courts consistently sided with the plaintiffs.
In 2022, a three-judge panel anticipated the plaintiffs’ success and ordered Alabama to include a second majority-Black district in its map. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld this in a landmark 2023 decision (Allen v. Milligan), reinforcing Voting Rights Act protections against racial vote dilution.
Despite this, Alabama’s legislature devised a map in 2023 still featuring only one majority-Black district, triggering further legal action. A federal court once again blocked the plan, enforcing a court-designed map with two Black opportunity districts, used in the 2024 elections.
In 2025, after extensive proceedings, the court found the state’s map not only violated the Voting Rights Act but also displayed intentional racial discrimination according to the Constitution.
This brings the case to its current stage before the 2026 midterms. On May 11, 2026, the Supreme Court re-engaged with the case—but did not rule on the core issues. Instead, it annulled the lower court’s 2025 decision and remanded the case for reevaluation, influenced by a separate ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. This case redefined the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
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