Supreme Court reinstates Republican-favored Alabama congressional districts

Republicans in the southern state of Alabama have petitioned the United States Supreme Court to approve a congressional election map previously ruled to be racially discriminatory.On Wednesday, the state’s Republican leadership called on the high court to rule by Monday so that the map could be used for the 2026 midterm elections.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Virginia Supreme Court strikes down Democrats’ redistricting plan in USlist 2 of 3Why Louisiana paused its US House primary election amid redistricting pushlist 3 of 3A redistricting re-do? What to know about Alabama’s primary electionsend of listPreviously, in 2023, the Supreme Court had declined to reverse a lower court decision, which found that the map violated prohibitions against racial discrimination under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.That law had long been one of the few limits to partisan redistricting, also known as gerrymandering.While no law currently prohibits lawmakers from redesigning congressional maps to give their parties an advantage, the Voting Rights Act included a section that bars politicians from limiting government representation based on race or minority status.But last month, in the case of Louisiana v Callais, the US Supreme Court weakened how the Voting Rights Act could be applied to redistricting cases.States like Alabama have since moved to reapply congressional maps that had previously been struck down on grounds of racial discrimination.Alabama’s redistricting pushIn Alabama’s case, a three-judge panel in 2023 found that the state’s Republican leadership had intentionally diminished the political strength of Black voters, who tend to lean Democratic.The panel ruled that the state should have two Black-majority districts: one that includes the city of Birmingham, and another that includes the state capital, Montgomery.But in Wednesday’s court filing, Alabama Republicans argued that the panel’s ruling was no longer valid, given the April Supreme Court decision.It instead pushed for the map that was rejected in 2023 to be restored, consolidating most of the state’s Black voters into a single district.In their request to the Supreme Court, the Republican leaders asserted that urgent action was necessary to prevent “irreparable harm” to their partisan redistricting push.“Worse still, voters will be forced to vote under a court-drawn racially gerrymandered map that does not meet Alabama’s legitimate districting goals,” they wrote.Should the rejected map be restored, Governor Kay Ivey has already indicated that new primaries will be held in four of the state’s seven congressional districts to reflect the new boundaries.Primaries had already been held across the state on May 19, but voters in Alabama’s first, second, sixth and seventh congressional districts would have to recast their ballots under the plan on August 11.The winners of those primaries would then proceed to compete in November’s midterm elections.But the Republican-led push to redraw the congressional map hit a hurdle on Tuesday, when a lower court once again rejected the 2023 map.“The court saw through Alabama’s blatant attempt to reinstate a race-based congressional map that the legislature deliberately enacted to deny Black voters a voice in Congress,” the plaintiffs said in a statement on Tuesday, released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).New maps nationwideThe battle over Alabama’s congressional districts reflects the hotly contested race to control the US House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections.Republicans hold both chambers of Congress by slim majorities. As a result, the outcome of a handful of elections could sway both chambers either left or right.Currently, 217 Republicans form the House’s majority, out of 435 possible seats.Last year, with November’s midterm elections on the horizon, Republican President Donald Trump launched a push for his party to corner the advantage.In June 2025, reports began to emerge that the Trump Whi

Alabama is one of the several states in the United States heading to the polls on Tuesday for primary elections.But this primary season has an unexpected hiccup for voters in the deep-red southern state. Some may have to return to the ballot box in a few months.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How Thomas Massie came to represent Republican dissent in age of Trumplist 2 of 3Republican Senator Cassidy loses Louisiana primary after opposing Trumplist 3 of 3What to know about Georgia’s primary as Republicans set sights on Senateend of listFour of the state’s congressional districts are expected to hold special primaries in August, as part of a nationwide battle over redistricting.President Donald Trump has pushed Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps in order to give the right-wing party an advantage in the November midterm elections.At stake is control over the US House of Representatives. Each congressional district represents one seat in the House, where Republicans currently hold a slim majority.Just this month, the Supreme Court issued a decision that clears the way for Alabama to install a congressional map that had been rejected in 2023 for diluting the power of Black voters.That map would rearrange the four congressional districts in the state’s south, clustering many of the state’s Democratic voters into a single district, rather than two.Shortly after the court’s decision, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced the special primary elections in the four districts, to allow for the new map to be implemented.But the originally scheduled primaries are still unfolding in those districts on Tuesday, as are other national and statewide races. Here’s what you should know about the Alabama primaries:Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is ineligible for re-election in 2026 [File: Office of the Governor State of Alabama/Reuters, handout]What time do polls open?Polls are open on Election Day at 7:00am (12:00 GMT) and close at 7:00pm local time (0:00 GMT).Is Kay Ivey running for re-election as governor?Alabama limits its governors to two consecutive four-year terms, making Ivey, an 81-year-old former school teacher, ineligible for re-election in 2026.She has served as her state’s chief executive since 2017, making her the longest serving female governor in US history.Ivey has been a staunch supporter of President Trump, leading her state to adopt right-wing policies to restrict abortion, speed up death-penalty cases and limit environmental policies.Her absence from the 2026 primary ballot has opened up a hotly contested race to replace her.Senator Tommy Tuberville walks alongside his colleague Katie Britt after travelling with President Trump on March 18 [Kylie Cooper/Reuters]Who is running for governor?Six Democrats and three Republicans are running to replace Ivey as governor of Alabama.Whoever wins the Republican primary will have an edge in November’s general election: Not since 2003 has a Democrat held the office.Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is leading the pack. A former conference-winning football coach for Alabama’s Auburn University, Tuberville has built a national profile as a right-wing stalwart during his single term in Congress.Famously, in 2023, he blocked hundreds of military promotions in protest against a policy that could provide funds to service members seeking travel for abortion.Which is the most closely watched primary?The most closely watched race is the contest for Tuberville’s seat in the US Senate.Ten candidates total are vying for his job. The Republican field is among the most crowded this cycle, with six contenders.The frontrunners include state Attorney General Steve Marshall, Navy SEAL veteran Jared Hudson and Barry Moore, a US representative for Alabama’s first district.They share similar platforms centred on border security, backing law enforcement, and protecting Second Amendment gun rights.But each one has tried to set himself apart. Moore, for instance, has touted himself a

A demonstrator holds up a sign outside the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery on Thursday. Kim Chandler/AP hide caption toggle caption Kim Chandler/AP Alabama's elections just got more complicated. The state is moving ahead with a special primary election for four of its seven congressional districts, after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for Alabama to use a map that had been blocked by the courts. The move increases the chances of Republicans picking up an extra U.S. House seat. The Supreme Court's conservative majority vacated a lower court decision that had blocked a 2023 congressional map proposal and required the state to include a second largely Black district. The Supreme Court's order, which was opposed by the court's three liberal-leaning justices, came after its recent ruling in a Louisiana redistricting case that weakened the Voting Rights Act. Following that Louisiana decision, Alabama's Republican leaders sought to revert to the 2023 map proposal that would leave one largely Black, Democratic-held congressional district. "I will continue to say: Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best," Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, said in a statement Tuesday announcing the special election. "The United States Supreme Court's decision is plain common sense and enables our values to be best represented in Congress." Ivey scheduled the special election because Alabama's regular primary is next Tuesday, May 19, with absentee voting already under way. She set an Aug. 11 special election for the congressional districts affected by the reversion to the 2023 map: the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th. "Alabamians now have another opportunity to send strong voices to Washington to fight for our values, and I encourage them to get out and vote in this special primary election on August 11," Ivey said. "I also urge them to head to the polls this coming Tuesday, May 19 to vote in all other races." Voting rights groups have asked a federal court to keep the current congressional map in place, writing in a filing: "Alabama's attempt to revert to its 2023 map—a map that was never implemented and under which no one has ever voted—when this election is already underway, absentee ballots have been mailed, and every relevant deadline under state and federal law has long since passed, is contrary to the public interest." The unique split primaries in Alabama come as other GOP-led states, such as Louisiana and South Carolina, also weigh dismantling majority-Black districts in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision on the Voting Rights Act.