SCOTUS Issues New Redistricting Ruling

The US Supreme Court handed Alabama Republicans a major victory Monday, clearing the way for the state to move forward with a redistricting effort that could reshape two congressional districts currently represented by Democrats.

In a 6-3 decision, the court vacated a lower-court ruling that had required Alabama to maintain two majority-Black congressional districts under its current map. The justices ordered the lower court to revisit the case following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a decision that significantly limited the use of race in congressional map drawing.

The Alabama districts at the center of the dispute are currently represented by Democratic Reps. Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures. Republicans hope new boundaries could make at least one of those seats more competitive for the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The court’s conservative majority did not issue a lengthy explanation Monday, instead directing lower courts to reconsider the case under the new legal framework established in the Louisiana ruling. That decision effectively barred what critics call racial gerrymandering, or the drawing of district lines primarily based on race.

The court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented from the decision.

The ruling immediately energized Alabama Republicans, who have spent years battling federal courts over congressional maps. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey indicated last week that state officials were prepared to act quickly if the Supreme Court sided with Alabama.

The state is now expected to move toward reinstating district maps previously approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2023 for congressional seats and in 2021 for state senate districts.

The legal fight over Alabama’s congressional map has become one of the most closely watched redistricting battles in the country because it could affect control of the US House of Representatives. Democrats and civil rights groups argued the previous maps diluted Black voting power, while Republicans maintained the districts were legally drawn and politically fair.

Outside the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, demonstrators gathered in recent days to protest the possibility of new maps. Some carried signs reading “No New Map,” arguing that another redraw would create confusion ahead of the election cycle and reduce minority representation.