3 days ago
Federal court says Alabama must use map that creates 2nd Black majority district
The state is expected to appeal the decision, which comes as both parties move to draw new districts for partisan advantage.
The Alabama State Capitol stands on May 15, 2019 in Montgomery, Alabama. |By Aaron Pellish
08/07/2025 10:17 PM EDT
Alabama must use independently drawn congressional maps that created a second Black-majority district more favorable to Democrats in the state for the rest of the decade, a federal court said Thursday.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama ruled unanimously that the state must use the map drawn up by a court-appointed special master until regular redistricting is scheduled to be done in 2030.
The decision, which enabled Democrats to gain a seat in the last election, comes as both parties gear up for competing redistricting efforts in response to a move by Texas to redraw boundaries to improve the chances that Republicans will pick up five additional seats. The court in Alabama barred the state from using a map drawn in 2023 that did not include a second Black-majority district in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling.
