Alabama Republicans immediately called for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after losing a redistricting battle at a three-judge panel of a federal court.
Republicans are trying to reinstate a 2023 congressional map that would allow them the possibility of picking up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrats claimed the new map would send Alabama back to the ‘1950s and 60s.’
On Tuesday, a U.S. district court in Alabama sided against the map and ordered the state to use a map with two majority-black districts.
“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” read the ruling.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall released a statement after the ruling.
“I am disappointed, but not at all surprised, that the three-judge panel has again struck down Alabama’s blandly unobjectionable congressional map that has been in place for decades,” wrote Marshall.
“I find nothing in the U.S. Supreme Court’s vacatur order of May 11 that would provide a basis for this outcome; thus, we will immediately appeal this decision to the Supreme Court,” he added.
Rep. Shomari Figures, one of the Democrats representing a black-majority district in Alabama, praised the ruling but said Democrats were prepared to continue fighting at the Supreme Court.
“I am pleased with the Court’s decision, but this case is still not over,” he wrote.
“Although we expected the Court to reach this decision given the overwhelming evidence, we fully expect the State to immediately appeal the decision to the Supreme Court,” Figures added. “This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled.”
Figures had previously claimed the new map would send Alabama back to the “1950s and 60s in terms of Black political representation in the state.”
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“We’ve seen it from Republicans across the country — their goal is to eliminate every opportunity district for an African American candidate in the country,” Figures added in a separate comment.
Marshall expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would side with Republicans.
“This is a very fluid situation, and I will do my best to keep the People of Alabama apprised of our efforts,” he added. “Know this — in my mind, it is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when.”
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