Court blocks Alabama congressional map, saying state discriminated by race

Washington — A federal district court on Tuesday temporarily blocked Alabama from using a congressional map adopted by state lawmakers in 2023, finding that the plan, which includes one majority-Black district, is racially discriminatory.

The panel of three judges instead ordered Alabama to continue using a court-selected map that includes two majority-Black districts. Those congressional district lines were used in the 2024 elections. 

In their decision, the three judges found that the redistricting plan adopted by Alabama’s GOP-led legislature in 2023 intentionally discriminated on the basis of race, in violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. 

“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the judges said.

The decision is the latest twist in the long-running legal fight over Alabama’s congressional map. The case landed back before the district court after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last month that weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

On the heels of that ruling, the high court set aside lower court rulings that had blocked Alabama from using the 2023 map and ordered additional proceedings. State officials then acted swiftly to implement the House lines drawn by state lawmakers in 2023.