A panel of three federal judges invalidated Alabama's newly revised congressional map Sept. 5, declaring it failed to comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The court ordered the appointment of a special master to redraw the map, aiming to include at least two districts where Black voters have a meaningful chance to elect candidates of their choice, according to an court documents.
“Twice, Alabama lawmakers have been asked to draw fair congressional districts that give Black Alabamians the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. And twice, a panel of federal judges have found that Alabama lawmakers failed to do so," Ja Taune Bosby Gilchrist, ACLU of Alabama executive director, said in an American Civil Liberties Union release. "Elected officials ignored their responsibilities and chose to violate our democracy. We hope the court’s special master helps steward a process that ensures a fair map that Black Alabamians and our state deserve.”
The ruling follows a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, which upheld a lower court's finding in the Allen v. Milligan case. According to court documents, the earlier decision said Alabama's 2021 congressional map diluted the voting power of Black citizens.
Black voters make up 27% of the voting-age population in the state, but have a viable opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in only one of the seven congressional districts, the court documents reported.
The Alabama Legislature reconvened in July to create a new map but has again fallen short of federal requirements. The plaintiffs continued their legal challenge, citing non-compliance with the Voting Rights Act, according to court documents.
"We are not aware of any other case in which a state legislature — faced with a federal court order declaring that its electoral plan unlawfully dilutes minority votes and requiring a plan that provides an additional opportunity district — responded with a plan that the state concedes does not provide that district," U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco and U.S. District Judge Terry Moorer collectively said in the ACLU release. "The law requires the creation of an additional district that affords Black Alabamians, like everyone else, a fair and reasonable opportunity to elect candidates of their choice."
