By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
A three-judge federal panel has blocked Alabama from using a congressional redistricting plan that Republicans hoped would reshape one of the state’s key U.S. House races ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The ruling, issued Tuesday, prevents the state from replacing the court-drawn congressional map currently in use and keeps in place a district configuration that created two majority or near-majority Black voting districts.
The latest dispute comes after Alabama lawmakers earlier this year approved legislation scheduling special congressional primary elections for Aug. 11 under the proposed 2023 map, despite voters already having cast ballots in the state’s regularly scheduled May 19 primary elections. Supporters of the measure argued the special election process was necessary because of ongoing litigation and uncertainty surrounding which congressional map would ultimately be used.
In a lengthy opinion, the judges concluded that Alabama’s proposed map likely discriminated against Black voters by reducing their electoral influence, despite previous court orders directing the state to create a second district where Black voters could elect candidates of their choice. The panel wrote that it could not require voters to participate in elections “under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination.”
The decision marks another chapter in Alabama’s years-long congressional redistricting battle, which began after the 2020 Census. Courts previously ruled that maps approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature violated the federal Voting Rights Act by failing to provide adequate representation for Black voters, who make up roughly 27 percent of the state’s population.
Following earlier court rulings and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Allen v. Milligan, Alabama was ordered to adopt a map containing two districts where Black voters had a meaningful opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. A court-approved special master map was ultimately used in the 2024 elections and remains in effect.
Republican lawmakers later sought to revive a previously rejected map after a recent Supreme Court ruling involving Louisiana weakened portions of the Voting Rights Act used in redistricting disputes. Alabama officials argued the revised legal landscape allowed the state to move forward with its earlier plan.
Gov. on Tuesday defended the state’s position and voiced support for an appeal to the nation’s highest court.
“Alabama’s redistricting battle continues after federal judges temporarily blocked use of our 2023 congressional map,” Ivey said in a statement. “I fully support Attorney General Marshall appealing this unsurprising decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and I remain hopeful they will allow Alabama to move forward with our August 11 Special Primary Election. I will continue to say: Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best.”
U.S. Rep. also responded to the ruling, saying he was encouraged by the court’s decision while acknowledging the legal battle is likely far from over.
“I am pleased with the Court’s decision, but this case is still not over,” Figures said in a statement. “Although we expected the Court to reach this decision given the overwhelming evidence, we fully expect the State to immediately appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled.”
Figures represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District under the current court-approved map. If the courts ultimately allow Alabama to return to the Legislature’s previously rejected map, the district would again be significantly reshaped through a plan previously ruled discriminatory toward Black voters in Alabama’s Black Belt region.
U.S. Rep. called the ruling “a victory for fair representation and a powerful rebuke of Alabama’s continued efforts to silence Black voters.”
Sewell said the court once again confirmed that Alabama’s 2023 congressional map “was intentionally designed to discriminate against Black voters and dilute our political power.” She accused Republican lawmakers of defying federal court orders, the Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act “in a desperate attempt to preserve their grip on power.”
“I applaud the three-judge panel for upholding the rule of law and reaffirming that racial discrimination has no place in our redistricting process,” Sewell said. “While we know that this legal battle is far from over, today’s ruling sends a clear message: Black voters in Alabama cannot and will not be silenced.”
The federal judges rejected the state’s arguments, ruling the challenged map still could not be used in upcoming elections because of what the court described as intentional racial discrimination.
The ruling is considered politically significant as both parties continue efforts to shape congressional representation ahead of future elections. Under the current court-approved map, Alabama elected two Democrats to the U.S. House in 2024, including Figures. Republicans had hoped a revised district map would improve their chances of reclaiming one of those seats.
Alabama Attorney General said the state plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The map on the left (source Alabama Legislature) shows the congressional districts drawn by the Alabama Legislature in 2023. It shows the division of the Black Belt into two separate districts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit struck that map down and ordered the map on the right drawn. It was used in the 2024 election, and as of today, it is still being used as the State of Alabama fights to have it tossed out. Map on the right source: 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court will be the final decider of the congressional map, even though it already agreed with the lower federal court that the Alabama Legislature’s map was discriminatory.
