The Republican-controlled Alabama state legislature has ignited controversy by refusing to create a new congressional map that includes a second majority-Black district. This decision goes against a recent Supreme Court order and has elicited outrage from Democrats who argue that the legislature is intentionally diminishing Black voting power. State Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, tweeted his frustrations, stating that they passed a map without sufficient time for review and that passing a non-compliant map was the plan from the start. Here is an overview of the battle over Alabama’s congressional maps.
After the 2020 census, Alabama implemented a redistricting plan where only one of the state’s seven districts would be a majority-Black district, despite 27 percent of the state’s residents being Black. This plan became the subject of a lawsuit filed by a group of voters, the Alabama chapter of the NAACP, and Greater Birmingham Ministries, alleging that the GOP-controlled legislature engaged in unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. They argued that this violated the U.S. Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The plaintiffs contended that the map packed Black voters into the Black Belt, a predominantly rural area where nearly 60 percent of registered voters identified as Black, while other districts had less than 31 percent registered Black voters. In January, federal judges ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, blocking the map and stating that Black voters had less opportunity than other Alabamians to elect their preferred candidates to Congress.
Alabama appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court, but the Court upheld the lower court’s decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority, stating that Alabama’s new approach to the Voting Rights Act was not compelling, and they declined to change their §2 case law as requested by Alabama. The Court ordered the state to create a new map with an additional majority-Black district or something close to it.
Alabama had until Friday to introduce a new congressional map, but last week, the Republican-proposed map fell short of the court’s order. The approved map included only one majority-Black district and another that is around 40-percent Black, in defiance of the Supreme Court. Governor Kay Ivey approved the map and stood by the Republicans, stating that the legislature knows the state, people, and districts better than federal courts or activist groups. State Republicans defended the map, claiming that it upheld the court’s order.
The new map has political implications for Democrats, as the Supreme Court’s ruling in June was seen as a victory for voting rights advocates and Democrats seeking to regain control of the House in the next election. However, Republicans are now being accused of diluting Black voting power with their proposed map. This could negatively impact the Democratic Party’s fortunes and make the seats more competitive for Republicans since most of the state’s Black residents tend to support Democrats.
Black lawmakers at the state and federal level expressed outrage regarding the Republican map. State Rep. Chris England described the process as torturous and criticized Republicans for openly defying a court order. He also highlighted other legislative acts that seemed to marginalize Black voters, such as a law threatening incarceration for assisting in an absentee ballot. Representative Terri Sewell stated that the new map does not comply with the Supreme Court’s order and expected it to be rejected. The Alabama House Democratic Caucus accused the Republican majority of prioritizing political ambitions over complying with the Voting Rights Act.
The legal fight is expected to continue, with plaintiffs having until July 28 to file objections to the newly approved map. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office will then respond a week later, and a hearing is scheduled for August 14. The court may choose to implement maps drawn by outside experts if it agrees that the map still constitutes racial gerrymandering. England encouraged Alabamians to continue registering to vote, emphasizing the importance of the vote and hoping that the court would compel Alabama to do the right thing.