A federal court on Tuesday blocked Alabama from implementing a congressional map designed to bolster Republican representation, ruling it intentionally discriminated against Black voters in violation of the Constitution. The decision, issued by a three-judge panel, marks a significant legal setback for the state’s GOP-led legislature and sets the stage for a potential showdown with the U.S. Supreme Court.
Federal Court Blocks GOP-Favored Map Amid Racial Discrimination Ruling
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, seated in Atlanta, issued a unanimous opinion stating that Alabama’s 2023 congressional map “intentionally discriminated based on race in violation of the Constitution.” The ruling effectively halts the state from using the map in the 2026 midterm elections, which was crafted to maintain Republican dominance in six of seven districts. The court’s decision came after a prolonged legal battle dating back to 2021, when Black voters sued Alabama over its redistricting plans, alleging they diluted their political influence.
The plaintiffs in the case included the Alabama Democratic Conference, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and individual voters, who argued that the map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by diluting Black voting power. The lawsuit was initially filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama in March 2021, with lead counsel representing the plaintiffs including civil rights attorney Marcia Greenberger of the National Women’s Law Center. A 2024 ruling by the 11th Circuit found the map unlawfully diluted Black representation, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 2026 decision in *Louisiana v. Callais*—which narrowed the scope of the VRA—allowed Alabama to temporarily use the map for the 2024 midterms.
The 11th Circuit panel, however, re-examined the case in light of *Callais* and reaffirmed its earlier conclusion that the 2023 plan was discriminatory. The court’s opinion, issued on May 7, 2024, cited “undisputed evidence” of racial intent in the map’s design, including testimony from state legislators and demographic data showing that Black voters, who constitute 27% of Alabama’s population, were packed into a single district while being diluted in others. “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 wrote.
The ruling underscores a growing tension between state legislatures and federal courts over redistricting, particularly after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in *Allen v. Milligan*, which mandated the creation of a second majority-Black district in Alabama. The 11th Circuit’s decision
