Supreme Court halts order for Alabama to use House map with 2 largely Black districts
Summary
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to remove one of its two mostly Black congressional districts before the 2026 midterm elections. This move may help Republicans gain an extra House seat in a closely divided Congress by using a new map approved by the state legislature.Key Facts
- The Supreme Court's decision follows a ruling that struck down a majority-Black district in Louisiana as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.
- Alabama was ordered by lower courts to use a map with two majority-Black districts but the Supreme Court paused that order.
- Alabama’s Republican legislature approved a new map with only one majority-Black district.
- Alabama officials passed a law to potentially cancel May 19 primary results in some districts and hold new primaries under the new map.
- Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, must set a date for the special primary, which must happen by August.
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, warning that Alabama might still be found to have discriminated against Black voters under the 14th Amendment.
- Voting districts are typically redrawn after the census every ten years, but some states are redrawing them ahead of the 2026 elections.
- Republicans hope to gain up to 14 House seats nationwide through redistricting, while Democrats expect to gain up to six.
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