Legal battle underway to secure Alabama's current congressional districts
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A legal battle over Alabama's congressional districts begins Monday at Hugo Black Federal Courthouse in Birmingham.
If the map changes again, there could be statewide implications.
Former Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine cleared to run for mayor
On Friday, a coalition of local community groups in Mobile came together at Government Plaza to discuss the appropriate representation leading into next week's trial.
In court next week, the National Redistricting Foundation will fight to ensure the current district map remains in place for the rest of the decade.
'Both the U.S. Supreme Court and the district court have already agreed that a textbook application of Section 2 requires a map with two Black opportunity districts in Alabama,' NRF Executive Director Marina Jenkins said.
This includes the new District 2, which includes both Mobile and Montgomery.
Escambia County deputies searching for stolen vehicle suspect after chase
The new District 2 map was drawn by the federal court in 2023 and was recently won by Democrat Shomari Figures in November 2024.
'This case isn't just about a congressional map,' Jenkins said. 'It's about representation and living up to the fundamental ideal that should guide our Democracy.'
'That every individual has the right to exercise self-determination at the ballot box,' she continued.
This led some Republicans to change their mind and want the map lines to be drawn again.
Jamaican nationals arrested in Baldwin County face federal charges in lottery scam
Stand Up Mobile co-founder Beverly Cooper told that it is important that all Alabamians are represented in Congress.
'I believe that not just African Americans,' Cooper said. 'But people in the state of Alabama and around the country are concerned about what do we have when we look at our American democracy.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
11 minutes ago
Trump admin live updates: President to announce 'Trump savings accounts' for parents, guardians
The accounts are part of Trump's megabill. 1:40 As the Trump administration continues to ramp up its focus on Los Angeles and threatens to send troops to the city amid anti-ICE protests, the fallout from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's feud continues. This comes as Republicans in Congress continue to work on agreeing on language for Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." Meanwhile, U.S.-China trade talks in London this week are expected to take up a series of fresh disputes that have buffeted relations, threatening a fragile truce over tariffs. President Donald Trump will host a roundtable Monday to formally announce the provision in his massive funding bill called the "Trump savings accounts," which will allow parents and guardians to invest funds in the financial markets on behalf of children, a White House official confirms to ABC News. The savings account would be applicable to children born between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2029. The government would deposit $1,000 into a tax-deferred, low-cost index fund account that will track the overall stock market for each newborn. Additional contributions can go up to $5,000 annually. When the children reach adulthood, they are able to take out the money to cover things like college or a down payment on a home. "The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill will literally change the lives of working, middle class families across America by delivering the largest tax cuts in history, increasing the child tax credit, AND by creating this incredible new "Trump Account" program, which will put the lives of young Americans on the right financial path," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to ABC News. Multiple CEO's from companies, such as Dell Technologies, will appear with Trump to announce billions of dollars in collective investments into "Trump Accounts" for the children of their employees, according to the official. The event comes as the White House works to highlight Trump's so-called "One, Big, Beautiful Bill," as the Senate works through attempting to pass the budget bill and amid explosive criticism from Elon Musk last week. --ABC News' Lalee Ibssa
Hamilton Spectator
28 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
California governor plans to file lawsuit against Trump over National Guard deployment to protests
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he planned to file a lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump in response to the administration's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard to confront immigration protesters who took to the streets in Los Angeles. 'Commandeering a state's National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral,' Newsom, a Democrat, told MSNBC on Sunday. The streets of the sprawling city of 4 million people were mostly quiet Monday morning, the day after crowds blocked off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Sunday's protests were centered in several blocks of downtown and a handful of other places. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents. Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and arresting those who don't leave. Some of those who stayed threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier. Others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 Freeway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover at one point. The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were 'overwhelmed' by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble. Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers. Trump responded to McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks. 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' he wrote. Governor says Guard not needed Newsom called on Trump to rescind the Guard deployment in a letter Sunday afternoon, calling it a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.' The governor, who was was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials, also told protesters that they were playing into Trump's plans and would face arrest for violence or property destruction. 'Trump wants chaos and he's instigated violence,' he said. 'Stay peaceful. Stay focused. Don't give him the excuse he's looking for.' The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. McDonnell pushed back against claims by the Trump administration that the LAPD had failed to help federal authorities when protests broke out Friday after a series of immigration raids. He said his department responded as quickly as it could and had not been notified in advance of the raids. Newsom, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that California authorities had the situation under control. He mocked Trump for posting a congratulatory message to the Guard on social media before troops had even arrived in Los Angeles, and he told MSNBC that Trump never floated deploying the Guard during a Friday phone call. He called Trump a 'stone cold liar.' The admonishments did not deter the administration. 'It's a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. Clashes escalate as National Guard troops arrive National Guard troops stood shoulder to shoulder Sunday morning in LA, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted 'shame' and 'go home.' After some demonstrators closely approached the Guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street. Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them. Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently. By evening, police had shut down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles. Flash-bang grenades echoed out every few seconds into the evening. Deployment follows days of protest The arrival of the National Guard followed two days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighboring Compton . Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA's fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid. Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot. The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many more were arrested while protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Trump says there will be 'very strong law and order' In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' He said he had authorized the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard. Trump told reporters Sunday as he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, that there were 'violent people' in Los Angeles 'and they're not going to get away with it.' In San Francisco, officers arrested dozens of protesters Sunday night after a group refused to disperse, police said in a statement on social media . Officers monitoring one protest declared an unlawful assembly when people in the group became violent, the San Francisco Police Department said. Many protesters left the scene, but some remained while others moved to another area where they vandalized buildings and a police vehicle. ___ Offenhartz reported from New York. Associated Press Writer Michelle Price contributed to this report from Bridgewater, New Jersey. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Fox News
29 minutes ago
- Fox News
Republican rep indicates he will be 'a no' on Trump-backed rescissions measure if AIDS relief cut
As the Trump administration and congressional Republicans eye passage of a rescission proposal, Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who doesn't shy away from bucking President Donald Trump, has indicated that he won't support it if it guts an AIDS relief program. The president's proposed clawbacks include millions of dollars pertaining to global health programs. "I told them I'm a no," the congressman said of the measure, according to the New York Times. "I just want to make sure we're funding the medicine. We want to prevent AIDS, it's a noble program, it's George Bush's legacy. I put the marker out there; we'll see." In a post on X last week, Bacon described "The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" as "a noble program that America can be proud of funding." But in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, Bacon said, "If PEPFAR is gutted, I am a no. But I'm told that only parts of the program will be cut. I'll need more details," The rescission package "proposes to rescind $400 million from the PEPFAR program, which is appropriated $4.4 billion annually to provide bilateral assistance to countries, many of which do not support American interests, such as South Africa," a White House official told Fox News on Monday. "The $400 million rescission eliminates wasteful programming that does not serve the American taxpayer," the official said, while maintaining that the "package does NOT rescind any life-saving assistance and in fact, continues to make available billions of resources to implement life-saving medicine, medical services, as well costs necessary to deliver these services to maintain all current individuals on treatment." Bacon was the only House Republican to vote against a measure to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. "I thought it was dumb. That's what people told me — they said, 'It's so dumb; just vote for it.' That argument didn't work on me," he said, according to the Times. House leaders have pressed Bacon to keep more of his views to himself, telling him to, as the congressman put it, "quit kicking President Trump in the nuts," the outlet reported. But the lawmaker indicated that he would only press back when he believes it is needed. "You can't be anti-everything," Bacon noted, according to the outlet. "I like what the president has done on the border, so I have no problem with that." "I'd like to fight for the soul of our party," he said, according to the Times. "I don't want to be the guy who follows the flute player off the cliff. I think that's what's going on right now." Bacon has served in the House of Representatives since 2017.
