Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Friday that she is calling the state legislature back into session Monday, May 4, in order to redraw the state’s congressional map.
The move by Ivey — which is dependent on the U.S. Supreme Court lifting an injunction it imposed as part of its ruling in Allen v. Milligan — comes on the heels of the high court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which placed greater restrictions on racial gerrymandering that created majority black congressional districts across the South.
“I, Kay Ivey, as Governor of the State of Alabama, do hereby proclaim and direct that the Legislature of the State of Alabama shall convene in special session in the Alabama State House, in Montgomery, Alabama, at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 4th, 2026,” Ivey declared in a proclamation Friday. “The Legislature may consider legislation to provide for a special primary election for electing members of the United States House of Representatives and the Alabama State Senate in districts whose boundary lines are altered by a court issuing a judgment, vacating an injunction, or otherwise ordering or permitting an alteration in the boundaries of such districts.” (RELATED: Supreme Court Strikes Down Institutionalized Racism)
Proclamation issued by Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey calling for a special session addressing the state’s congressional map, issued on May 1, 2026.
(Photo from the Office of Governor Kay Ivey)
The announcement of a special session suggests that Alabama lawmakers believe it is likely the U.S. Supreme Court will lift the injunction imposed under the Milligan decision — especially in light of its Callais ruling earlier this week.
Alabama joins Louisiana in its pursuit of redistricting ahead of the 2026 congressional midterm elections, with several other states potentially moving to redraw their maps in the coming days as well, including Mississippi and Tennessee, with South Carolina also reportedly considering a special session. (RELATED: Game-Changing SCOTUS Ruling: Republicans Poised To Dominate 2026 House Map)
Georgia, which — like Louisiana — will hold primaries in just over two weeks, appears to be opting to adopt new congressional maps before the 2028 election instead of the 2026 midterms.
Notably, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed an emergency appeal late Thursday with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking that the justices — in light of Callais — lift the Milligan injunction.
If the injunction is lifted and the state legislature agrees to adopt a new map, the most likely outcome, according to reports, is that the state would adopt the 2023 congressional map previously enjoined under the Milligan ruling.
“By calling the Legislature into a special session, I am ensuring that Alabama is prepared should the courts act quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn congressional and state senate maps to be used during this election cycle, said Ivey in a Friday statement obtained by the Alabama Reflector. “If the court-ordered injunction is lifted, Alabama would revert to the maps drawn by the Legislature for congressional districts in 2023 and state districts in 2o21.”
This would result in significant alterations to the state’s 2nd congressional district, flipping the seat from a fairly solid Democrat seat to one likely to be won by Republicans.
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