Supreme Court Allows Alabama to Use Republican-Favored Congressional Map for 2026 Elections

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted Alabama's emergency appeal to use a congressional map that favors Republicans in this year's elections, blocking a lower court ruling that found the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black voters.

The high court's order allows the state to implement a map adopted three years ago, which creates only one majority-Black district out of seven, despite Black residents comprising about 27% of Alabama's population. The three liberal justices dissented.

The decision comes a day before a deadline set by Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who had already extended the timeline for special primary elections in August. The state's Republican leadership had appealed to the Supreme Court after a three-judge panel refused to let the state use its preferred map.

The lower court had previously ordered Alabama to use a court-drawn map used in the 2024 elections, which resulted in the election of two Black Democrats to Congress.

Deuel Ross, director of litigation for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, condemned the ruling, stating, "The Supreme Court's decision gives cover to Alabama and others to deliberately and openly discriminate against Black voters without fear of any consequence." He vowed to continue fighting for fair representation.

Governor Ivey defended the map, saying, "The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what I have said all along and that is that Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best.

Today's decision is a win for the people of Alabama and our elections." She confirmed that special congressional primaries will be held on August 11 in four districts.

The order is the latest development following last month's Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has prompted Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have historically elected Democrats.

The Alabama case has been ongoing for years. In 2023, the three-judge panel ruled that the map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens.

After the Supreme Court's recent Louisiana ruling, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court's conservative majority lifted the injunction blocking the map and sent the case back for reconsideration.

Upon further review, the judicial panel stood by its initial finding of intentional racial discrimination, but the Supreme Court overruled that decision, stating the lower court "did not heed the presumption of legislative good faith."

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the majority for enabling what she called "a chaotic election, held under a never-before-used congressional map that intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians."

The court-ordered map used in 2024 led to the election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. The map now in place gives Republicans an opportunity to reclaim that south Alabama seat.