Supreme Court ruling opens Alabama map redraw for Alabama lawmakers
The supreme Court ruled Monday in a way that opened the door for Alabama’s legislative majority to redraw congressional maps in a way that would harm Black voters. Plaintiffs in the Alabama case returned to district court the same day, asking to keep the current map in place because people are already voting under it.
Louisiana v. Callais
The ruling came less than two weeks after the supreme Court dealt a blow to a remaining key protection of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais. That earlier decision gave new momentum to lawmakers in Alabama and across the South who want to revisit maps before the redistricting fight settles.
Louisiana is trying to stop a primary election that is already underway, and Louisiana is signaling it will eliminate one or both of the state’s two majority Black congressional districts. Tennessee became the first state to adopt new maps after Callais, showing how quickly the ruling moved from the courtroom into state politics.
Southern state responses
South Carolina has opened a process to extend its session to gerrymander its state voting maps, while Mississippi lawmakers have signaled they will consider redrawing the state’s maps. In South Carolina, the hearing room on Friday was overflowing with voters standing up for their rights and their communities’ voices.
In Alabama, the immediate legal fight is over whether the current map stays in place while the challenge continues. That question now sits with the district court, even as legislators elsewhere move first and litigants push back later.
Mobilization this weekend
The day after the decision, tens of thousands registered for a single organizing call with the “No Kings” coalition, and hundreds showed up outside the Tennessee State Capitol to rally against the power grab. Voters and groups are preparing for a national day of action this weekend, including large peaceful demonstrations in Montgomery and on the historical Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
The Voting Rights Act was forced into reality by Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lewis, who bled, marched and mobilized to pass it. Their names now sit behind the legal fight over who gets to shape congressional maps in Alabama and in the other Southern states moving ahead on redistricting.
For Alabama voters, the next immediate step is in district court, where plaintiffs are pressing to keep the current map while the broader regional response keeps building around Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
