MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal court ruled Thursday that Alabama’s Republican-led legislature intentionally discriminated against Black voters when it drew congressional districts, permanently blocking the state from using its own map and requiring continued use of a court-ordered plan that led to the state’s second Black congressman.
The three-judge panel found that Alabama’s 2023 congressional map, like its predecessor, violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting strength of Black residents. Judges said the legislature deliberately ignored orders to create a second district where Black voters could elect a candidate of their choice, consigning Black voting power to a single majority-Black district, despite Black residents making up about 27% of the state’s population.
The legal fight began in 2021, when civil rights groups and Black voters sued over the congressional map, arguing it packed Black voters into one district and split others to weaken their influence. The U.S. Supreme Court, in the 2023 Allen v. Milligan decision, sided with the plaintiffs and ordered Alabama to draw a fairer map, but the legislature’s response still failed to comply.
Thursday’s ruling is significant: it not only affirms that Alabama’s redistricting violated federal law, but also marks the first time in history that Alabama has two Black members in Congress, following the use of the court-ordered map in the 2024 elections. The court is now considering whether to place Alabama back under a Voting Rights Act provision requiring federal approval of future redistricting plans, a measure last used before a 2013 Supreme Court decision weakened oversight of states with histories of discrimination.
The state is expected to appeal the decision.