Montgomery, Alabama — The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a 2023 ruling blocking Alabama’s congressional map, reopening a major redistricting battle just days before the state’s primary elections.
The unsigned order sends the case, known as Allen v. Milligan, back to lower courts after the Supreme Court recently weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in a separate case involving Louisiana. The newer ruling raised the legal standard for challenges to congressional maps, requiring plaintiffs to prove intentional racial discrimination rather than discriminatory effects alone.
The current Alabama congressional map was created by a court-appointed special master after federal courts ruled earlier Republican-drawn maps diluted Black voting power. Under the court-approved map, Democrats gained a more competitive 2nd Congressional District represented by Rep. Shomari Figures.
Republican officials, including Attorney General Steve Marshall and Secretary of State Wes Allen, called Monday’s decision a victory for the state and legislative authority. Democrats and voting-rights advocates argued the ruling weakens protections for Black voters and creates uncertainty ahead of the May 19 primary.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, arguing Alabama’s previous maps had already been found intentionally discriminatory under the Constitution.
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