Alabama sets special election after Supreme Court decision
Alabama’s governor, Kay Ivey, has announced new election plans after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the state to proceed with its preferred congressional map. The Court’s 6-3 decision, issued Monday, allows Alabama to return to the 2023 legislature-approved map while lower courts reconsider the case under a heightened standard for proving intentional racial discrimination in redistricting, based on *Louisiana v.Callais*.
In response, Alabama will hold special elections for impacted congressional districts, including an August 11 special primary, with earlier May 19 primaries still scheduled for other races. The broader dispute stems from court findings that Alabama’s prior map likely violated voting rights protections by diluting Black voting strength, requiring two majority-minority districts.
Republican lawmakers have argued for restoring the 2023 map, which would reduce majority-Black districts from two to one. Meanwhile, plaintiffs in *Allen v. Milligan* filed an emergency motion to preserve the court-ordered map, arguing the Supreme Court’s latest ruling dose not negate earlier remedial findings. The article notes that absentee ballots in affected districts will be voided and recast under the revised schedule, reflecting a wider national pattern of redistricting litigation, including in states such as Louisiana, Florida, and Tennessee.
The Alabama governor has set new election plans after the Supreme Court cleared the state to move forward with its preferred congressional map.
The decision, issued Monday in a 6–3 ruling by the Supreme Court, allowed Alabama to revert to its 2023 legislature-approved congressional map while lower courts revisit the case under a new legal standard established in Louisiana v. Callais. That earlier ruling raised the threshold for proving intentional racial discrimination in redistricting cases.
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In response, Alabama officials announced special elections on Tuesday. Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) said the ruling affirms the state’s authority over its own districts and elections.
“Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best,” Ivey said. “The United States Supreme Court’s decision is plain common sense and enables our values to be best represented in Congress. For years, we have fought for this outcome, and I am proud to celebrate this win for Alabamians.”
She added that voters will now have “another opportunity to send strong voices to Washington,” encouraging participation in an August 11 special primary election for affected congressional districts, as well as the previously scheduled May 19 primary elections for other races.
The ruling stems from a long-running redistricting dispute over Alabama’s congressional map, which lower courts had previously found likely violated voting rights protections by diluting black voting strength. Those rulings required the creation of a map with two majority-minority districts.
Republican lawmakers in Alabama have pushed to restore the 2023 map, which would reduce the number of majority-black districts from two to one by reshaping District 2.
At the same time, plaintiffs in Allen v. Milligan, a key redistricting case regarding Alabama’s congressional map, filed an emergency motion seeking to preserve the court-ordered map. They argued that the Supreme Court’s recent decision does not undermine earlier findings that Alabama needed an additional opportunity district and that the state’s remedial map was drawn without racial targeting.
BY THE NUMBERS: HOW MANY SEATS HAS EACH PARTY GAINED IN REDISTRICTING?
Absentee voting began in March, and while votes in most races will still count, ballots cast in the affected congressional districts will be voided and recast under the new election schedule.
The Alabama case is part of a broader national wave of redistricting battles. Several Republican states, including Louisiana, Florida, and Tennessee, have moved quickly to redraw maps following the court’s April ruling in Callais.
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