Alabama Lawmakers Ignore Supreme Court Ruling Requiring Them To Create 2nd Black-Majority Congressional District

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s order to redraw congressional districts to give minority voters a larger say in elections, Alabama Republicans rejected motions to craft a second majority-black district and instead proposed a map testing the justices’ ruling.

The group met on Monday to redraw Alabama’s existing map, which the Supreme Court deemed a violation of the Voting Rights Act in June. The lawmakers needed to complete the redistricting by Friday, per the decision last month.

In 2022, a lower court panel ruled that Alabama should have another majority-black congressional district in the state, where more than one in four residents are black. Republicans then proposed a map that would increase the percentage of black voters in the Second Congressional District from 30% to 42.5%.

In a 14-6 vote that fell along party lines, the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment approved the proposal. It was introduced as legislation on Monday as lawmakers met to redraw the state’s map.

Alabama Democrats have condemned the lower court for approving the conservative proposal, arguing that 42.5% does not constitute a majority and thus defies the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Republicans have long opposed redistricting on the basis of race. A higher percentage of black voters means greater chances that an Alabama seat will be flipped and seized to Democratic control.

Civil rights activists vowed to appeal the new maps to the court overseeing the case.