WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Alabama on Wednesday asked to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, despite that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.
The state’s Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts.
The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map that was put in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents comprise a majority or close to it.
Attorney General Steve Marshall told the court that the state did not intentionally discriminate against Black residents and should be allowed to hold elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges.
The appeal is the in the fallout from last month’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and . That ruling has led Republicans , including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.
The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans鈥� slim House majority in the November elections.
Trump’s Justice Department backed Alabama’s appeal, noting that Alabama is 鈥渉ighly likely to succeed鈥� in its bid to implement a map the administration says would favor Republicans 6-1 in place of a court-ordered 鈥渞acial gerrymander.鈥�
The Alabama case stretches back several years. The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. The court-selected map was used in 2024.
After the Supreme Court鈥檚 recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court鈥檚 conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map鈥檚 use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling.
In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama鈥檚 May 19 primaries, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey set new special primaries for Aug. 11 in four congressional districts affected by the map switch.
Upon further review, the judicial panel said it was standing behind its initial finding that there was 鈥渦ndisputed evidence鈥� of intentional racial discrimination, a holding that was independent of and unaffected by the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act.
It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.
The use of the court-ordered map led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. State Republicans are seeking to use a map that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim the south Alabama seat.
The state is asking for Supreme Court action by Monday as it makes preparations for the special vote in August.
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This story has been corrected to show the Alabama primaries were May 19, not May 11.
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Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala.
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