Latest news with #2023Plan
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Even Trump's handpicked judges are shocked by Alabama's racist redistricting charade
Like Jack Torrance in 'The Shining,' the ghost of Jim Crow keeps rearing his ugly head in Alabama as the state continues to pursue a discriminatory scheme against its Black residents. NPR reported last week on a three-judge panel (including two Trump appointees) at a federal district court, who ruled unanimously that Alabama purposefully diluted the influence of Black voters when it refused to draw a second majority-Black district as repeatedly ordered by federal courts. Basically, Alabama defied court orders and a ruling from the Supreme Court that required the state to draw another majority-Black district, after Republicans in the Legislature were found to have diluted Black voters' power through redistricting after the 2020 census. The maps Alabama voted on last year were drawn by a court-appointed special master after Republicans in the state Legislature repeatedly refused to draw fair ones. And their ongoing refusal to cooperate could lead to some sort of federal monitor down the line. The judges wrote in the ruling: [T]ry as we might, we cannot understand the 2023 Plan as anything other than an intentional effort to dilute Black Alabamians' voting strength and evade the unambiguous requirements of court orders standing in the way.' The stinging critique continued: The Legislature knew what federal law required and purposefully refused to provide it, in a strategic attempt to checkmate the injunction that ordered it. It would be remarkable — indeed, unprecedented —for us to hold that a state legislature that purposefully ignored a federal court order acted in good faith ... And it would be unthinkable for us to hold that a state legislature that purposefully took calculated steps to make a court-required remedy impossible to provide, for the purpose of entrenching minority vote dilution, acted in good faith.' The ruling also says that at a future date, the court will consider whether to require Alabama once again to get pre-clearance from the Department of Justice for its redistricting under the Voting Rights Act. One might wonder whether the ascension of Harmeet Dhillon — a MAGA lawyer who has overseen the evisceration of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, which handles voting rights violations — could shape Alabama's defiance on this front going forward. A significant number of the division's employees reportedly quit rather than execute Dhillon's perverse vision of turning civil rights enforcement into a weapon to wage Trump's culture wars. Redistricting is not the only front in the effort by some white Alabamians to amass more political power. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey recently approved a bill to usurp power from the water utility board in Birmingham — a majority-Black city — for herself, her lieutenant governor and the four majority-white counties that surround the city. The Associated Press notes 'proponents of the bill point to frequent rate hikes, old infrastructure and recent scandals' as a reason to strip power from the utility board. But as I've written, white officials have used such plans in recent years to sideline officials in largely Black communities. And Birmingham officials, including mayor Randall Woodfin, have filed a lawsuit alleging the bill 'constitutes blatant racial discrimination.' (A spokesperson for the governor told the AP last week that they are reviewing the 'highly unusual' suit.) Jim Crow racism, purported by many as a thing of the past, seems to be hard at work in the Heart of Dixie. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court rules Alabama congressional map intentionally discriminated against Black voters
Federal judges ruled Thursday that Alabama intentionally discriminated against Black residents when the state disobeyed court orders to draw a second Black-majority congressional district. A three-judge panel said the congressional map drawn by the 2023 Alabama Legislature violated the Voting Rights Act. The judges, which ruled against the state twice before and put a new map in place for last year's elections, have permanently blocked Alabama from using the state-drawn map. The judges said the court does not 'diminish the substantial improvements Alabama has made in its official treatment of Black Alabamians in recent decades. 'Yet we cannot reconcile the State's intentional decision to discriminate in drawing its congressional districts with its position that Alabama has finally closed out its repugnant history of official discrimination involving voting rights,' they added. The court will now consider whether to place Alabama under Provision 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which would require the state to get federal approval of its congressional plans. Following the 2020 census, Alabama made six of its seven districts majority white, despite 27 percent of the state's population being Black. Though the Supreme Court allowed the map to be used in the 2022 midterms, it also upheld the lower court's findings that the map unlawfully diluted Black votes. Despite the rulings, the state Legislature refused to redraw the map to include a second congressional district that would allow Black voters to elect the candidate of their choice. 'This record thus leaves us in no doubt that the purpose of the design of the 2023 Plan was to crack Black voters across congressional districts in a manner that makes it impossible to create two districts in which they have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, and thereby intentionally perpetuate the discriminatory effects of the 2021 Plan,' the judges said Thursday. 'The Legislature knew what federal law required and purposefully refused to provide it, in a strategic attempt to checkmate the injunction that ordered it,' they wrote. Plaintiffs in the case told The Associated Press that the ruling is 'a testament to the dedication and persistence of many generations of Black Alabamians who pursued political equality at great cost.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Court rules Alabama congressional map intentionally discriminated against Black voters
Federal judges ruled Thursday that Alabama intentionally discriminated against Black residents when the state disobeyed court orders to draw a second Black-majority congressional district. A three-judge panel said the congressional map drawn by the 2023 Alabama legislature violated the Voting Rights Act. The judges, which ruled against the state twice before and put a new map in place for last year's elections, have permanently blocked Alabama from using the state-drawn map. The judges said the court does not 'diminish the substantial improvements Alabama has made in its official treatment of Black Alabamians in recent decades. 'Yet we cannot reconcile the State's intentional decision to discriminate in drawing its congressional districts with its position that Alabama has finally closed out its repugnant history of official discrimination involving voting rights,' they added. The court will now consider whether to place Alabama under Provision 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which would require the state to get federal approval of its congressional plans. Following the 2020 census, Alabama made six of its seven districts majority white, despite 27 percent of the state's population is Black. Though the Supreme Court allowed the map to be used in the 2022 midterms, it also upheld the lower courts findings that the map unlawfully diluted Black votes. Despite the rulings, the state legislature refused to redraw the map to include a second congressional district that would allow Black voters to elect the candidate of their choice. 'This record thus leaves us in no doubt that the purpose of the design of the 2023 Plan was to crack Black voters across congressional districts in a manner that makes it impossible to create two districts in which they have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, and thereby intentionally perpetuate the discriminatory effects of the 2021 Plan,' the judges said Thursday. 'The Legislature knew what federal law required and purposefully refused to provide it, in a strategic attempt to checkmate the injunction that ordered it,' they wrote. Plaintiffs in the case told the Associated Press the ruling is 'a testament to the dedication and persistence of many generations of Black Alabamians who pursued political equality at great cost.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court rules Alabama violated Voting Rights Act in drawing congressional lines
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal judges ruled Thursday that Alabama intentionally diluted the voting strength of Black residents when it drew congressional lines and said the state must continue using a court-ordered map that led to the election of the state's second Black congressman. A three-judge panel permanently blocked Alabama from using a state-drawn map that they said flouted their directive to draw a plan that was fair to Black voters. The decision was not a surprise because the panel ruled against the state twice previously and put a new map in place for last year's elections. The judges said that the map drawn by the Alabama Legislature in 2023 violated the Voting Rights Act, just like the one previously drawn by the state. 'The long and short of it is that the 2023 Plan unlawfully dilutes Black voting strength by consigning it to one majority-Black district,' the judges wrote, adding that Alabama should have a second district with a substantial percentage of Black voters. The judges chided what it called Alabama's 'deliberate decision to ignore' their order to draw a second district where Black voters had an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choosing. 'The Legislature knew what federal law required and purposefully refused to provide it, in a strategic attempt to checkmate the injunction that ordered it,' they wrote. The Thursday ruling came after a February trial over the state map. 'Today's decision is a testament to the persistence and resilience of Black voters in Alabama, including our clients,' said Deuel Ross, deputy director of litigation at the Legal Defense Fund. 'Alabama's unprecedented defiance of the Supreme Court and the lower court orders harkens back to the darkest days of American history.' Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office did not immediately issue a comment on the decision. The state is expected to appeal. Judges scheduled a hearing on plaintiffs' request to again make Alabama subject to the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act. The long-running case began in 2021. Black voters and civil rights groups sued over Alabama's congressional map. Black residents account for about 27% of the state's population but were the majority in just one of the state's seven congressional districts. The lawsuits accused Alabama of packing Black voters into a single majority-Black district and splintering other Black communities to limit their influence elsewhere. In a joint statement, the plaintiffs called the win 'a testament to the dedication and persistence of many generations of Black Alabamians who pursued political equality at great cost.' U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures last year won election to Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, giving the state a second Black representative in its congressional delegation for the first time in its history.
Winnipeg Free Press
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Court rules Alabama violated Voting Rights Act in drawing congressional lines
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal judges ruled Thursday that Alabama intentionally diluted the voting strength of Black residents when it drew congressional lines and said the state must continue using a court-ordered map that led to the election of the state's second Black congressman. A three-judge panel permanently blocked Alabama from using a state-drawn map that they said flouted their directive to draw a plan that was fair to Black voters. The decision was not a surprise because the panel ruled against the state twice previously and put a new map in place for last year's elections. The judges said that the map drawn by the Alabama Legislature in 2023 violated the Voting Rights Act, just like the one previously drawn by the state. 'The long and short of it is that the 2023 Plan unlawfully dilutes Black voting strength by consigning it to one majority-Black district,' the judges wrote, adding that Alabama should have a second district with a substantial percentage of Black voters. The judges chided what it called Alabama's 'deliberate decision to ignore' their order to draw a second district where Black voters had an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choosing. 'The Legislature knew what federal law required and purposefully refused to provide it, in a strategic attempt to checkmate the injunction that ordered it,' they wrote. The Thursday ruling came after a February trial over the state map. 'Today's decision is a testament to the persistence and resilience of Black voters in Alabama, including our clients,' said Deuel Ross, deputy director of litigation at the Legal Defense Fund. 'Alabama's unprecedented defiance of the Supreme Court and the lower court orders harkens back to the darkest days of American history.' Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office did not immediately issue a comment on the decision. The state is expected to appeal. Judges scheduled a hearing on plaintiffs' request to again make Alabama subject to the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act. The long-running case began in 2021. Black voters and civil rights groups sued over Alabama's congressional map. Black residents account for about 27% of the state's population but were the majority in just one of the state's seven congressional districts. The lawsuits accused Alabama of packing Black voters into a single majority-Black district and splintering other Black communities to limit their influence elsewhere. In a joint statement, the plaintiffs called the win 'a testament to the dedication and persistence of many generations of Black Alabamians who pursued political equality at great cost.' U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures last year won election to Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, giving the state a second Black representative in its congressional delegation for the first time in its history.
