ATLANTA — Federal judges on Tuesday temporarily blocked Alabama’s plan to use a new congressional map. The proposed map could give Republicans an advantage in a key U.S. House race in the midterm elections.
A three-judge panel issued a preliminary injunction that prevents Alabama, for now, from switching maps. The state is required to continue using the same court-ordered districts under which congressional representatives were elected in 2024.
Lawyers representing Black voters had sought the injunction, arguing the same panel in 2023 found the state map intentionally discriminatory against Black voters.
They also argued that Alabama was creating chaos by trying to change lines in the middle of an election year.
The ruling was a defeat for state Republicans who want to use a map for the November midterms that will give the GOP a chance to reclaim the seat now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures.
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The court order is the latest development in a legal and political saga following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
That ruling struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act.
This decision has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.
This redistricting push is part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to the Republican House majority in the November elections.
Other states have also considered adjustments to their primary elections to allow time for congressional redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision.
Louisiana’s congressional primaries, scheduled for May 16, were postponed until later this summer by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. This allows state lawmakers to consider a new U.S. House map that would eliminate a majority-Black district.
In South Carolina, the Republican-led legislature considered a plan that would throw out the votes from its June 9 congressional primary.
Instead, they would hold a new primary in August under revised districts that could improve Republicans’ chances of winning an additional seat.
Tennessee also moved quickly to enact new U.S. House districts after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The state carved up a Black-majority district based in Memphis that had elected the state’s only Democratic representative.
The new map gives Republicans a chance to sweep all nine of the state’s seats. As part of the plan, Tenn. temporarily reopened the candidate qualifying period for its August congressional primaries, allowing new candidates to enter the race and existing ones to either switch districts or drop out.
Since President Trump first urged Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last summer, about a half-dozen Republican-led states have enacted new voting districts.
Some of these districts still face legal challenges. Democrats countered with new districts in California and also expect to gain a seat from new court-imposed districts in Utah.
Ala. could appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Louisiana’s congressional primaries are postponed until later this summer.
Tennessee’s August congressional primaries will have a reopened candidate-qualifying period.
Information from the Associated Press used for this article.
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