Kay Ivey Alabama Redistricting Bill Sets Special Primaries for 2023 Map
Kay Ivey signed kay ivey alabama redistricting legislation on Friday that would require special primary elections if the Supreme Court allows Alabama to use its 2023 congressional district lines. The governor said the state is ready to move quickly if the courts rule in its favor.
Ivey said, “With this special session successfully behind us, Alabama now stands ready to quickly act, should the courts issue favorable rulings in our ongoing redistricting cases.”
Kay Ivey and 2023 district lines
The legislation covers impacted U.S. House districts and would make the governor call special primary elections if the state gets permission to use the congressional lines approved in 2023 but blocked from use. Ivey also signed similar legislation for state Senate districts approved in 2021.
That pairing shows how Alabama is trying to prepare for more than one court outcome at once. The congressional bill is tied to the map now before the Supreme Court, while the Senate measure follows the state lines approved in 2021.
Alabama federal court ruling
On Friday, Alabama’s federal court denied an emergency motion for a stay in the congressional redistricting case. The court said it did not have the authority to issue an order that upends Alabama’s status quo in the middle of an election while its injunction is under review in the U.S. Supreme Court.
That ruling leaves the state pressing the high court for permission to use the 2023 congressional map. For Alabama, the new law means election officials would not have to start from scratch if the justices side with the state.
Steve Marshall presses Supreme Court
State Attorney General Steve Marshall said Friday that he will continue to fight for Alabama to be able to use the congressional map the state’s elected representatives enacted. He said, “I will continue to fight for Alabama to be able to use the congressional map the people’s elected representatives enacted” and added, “Alabama drew a map based on lawful policy goals, not race, and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling vindicates that approach. We were punished for doing the right thing, and we are asking the Court to correct that now,”
Marshall’s position and Ivey’s signing move the state in the same direction: readying special primaries if the justices allow the 2023 map to take effect. The immediate question now sits with the Supreme Court, which is being asked to decide whether Alabama may use those congressional lines at all.
