Federal court says Alabama must use map that creates 2nd Black majority district

Two of the judges, Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer, were appoint to their seats by President Donald Trump. The third, Stanley Marcus, was appointed by President Bill Clinton.

In May, the same panel of judges ruled the state’s 2023 map violated the Voting Rights Act, and chastised Alabama’s legislature for deliberately ignoring court rulings to draw the maps with a second predominantly Black district.

Last year, after the state implemented maps drawn by the special master, Rep. Shomari Figures won the state’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District, giving Democrats two seats in Alabama’s congressional delegation.

The court also denied a request to have the Department of Justice approve any changes in the state’s maps going forward — a move DOJ said it opposed in June.

The ruling comes as both Republicans and Democrats mount aggressive mid-cycle redistricting campaigns across the country, triggered by President Donald Trump’s push to redraw the maps in Texas.

Alabama Republicans have previously signaled they may appeal the ruling again to the Supreme Court, potentially offering another opportunity to rule on the Voting Rights Act’s statutes on race-based redistricting. The court is already weighing a similar issue regarding Louisiana’s congressional maps.