The Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision stayed a lower court ruling that had blocked Alabama from using the map.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Alabama to use a congressional map that would eliminate two majority-black districts and could benefit Republicans in the midterms.
The Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision stayed a lower court ruling that had blocked Alabama from using the map.
The lower court had previously ruled that the map intentionally discriminated against black voters.
In an unsigned ruling on June 2, the justices said the state had made “a strong showing of irreparable harm” absent an emergency stay and that “the equities and public interest favor it.”
“While federal courts should not impose changes close to an election, states are free to decide for themselves whether last-minute changes to an election are in their best interests,” the justices wrote.
Three justices dissented, saying the court’s decision “disregards both democratic values and the rule of law.”
Of the state’s seven congressional districts, five are currently held by Republicans, while two are held by Democrats.
After the 2020 U.S. census, Alabama redrew its congressional map to create one majority-black district. A group of black voters challenged the map, citing Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act to argue that the map diluted minority voting power.
In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that struck down the map and held that the state must create a second black-majority district. Alabama voters cast their ballots under the redrawn map in 2024, which led to the election of two black Democrats to Congress.
Alabama later sought to reinstate its 2023 map after the Supreme Court sent the case back to the district court last month for reconsideration following the ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which limited the use of race in redistricting under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Attorneys for black voters had argued that the new map—which would give Republicans a six-to-one advantage over Democrats—discriminated against black voters.
In a May 27 filing, Alabama Republicans sought an emergency stay of the lower court’s order, noting that there was a “fair prospect” the Supreme Court would reverse the panel’s finding of “intentional discrimination.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the Supreme Court’s latest ruling affirms that Alabama’s elected representatives have the primary authority to draw congressional maps, not federal judges.
“Tonight’s decision is a major victory for Alabama and for the principle of self-governance,” he said in a statement. “The United States Supreme Court confirmed what we always knew: that Alabama’s Congressional maps are constitutional and lawful under the Voting Rights Act.”
Matthew Vadum and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
